Strong Coffee
by Onyx-Wildcat
Summary: Riddick is pulled into an alternate universe, has some good coffee and finds out more about himself then he ever wanted. This is a story of deception, romance, mystery, horror, suspense, drama, comedy, and ScFi. Adult Content. Chap 44 is now up!
1. It Begins

**Title:** _**Strong Coffee  
**_**Author:** Onyx Wildcat  
**Fandom:** **Riddick/Aliens Cross-over** _**Alternate Universe**_  
**Rating:** NC-17 for Strong Sexual Content, Language, Violence and Possibly Gore. **Viewer Discretion Is Strongly Advised**.  
**Characters:** **Main Characters::** Riddick and OFC(MINE).  
**Chapter:** Ongoing...seems it's taken on a life of its own  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Riddick or anything else pertaining to the Riddick Universe. This is merely for entertaining the masses of sillies that are as bad as me. -**UPDATE**- I also don't own anything from the ALIENS universe. I'm just insane and I LOVE Ripley and Xenomorphs **The Female character (Which is an extension of myself) is Mine**.  
**Summary:** _**Riddick finds himself having really good coffee...O.o**_  
**Archive:** Nope  
**Feedback:** Oh yes I would seriously love it!!

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**Onyx's Note:** I began writing this **2'9'07** and I am STILL working on it. If you do decide to start reading this, Riddick will seem VERY OUT OF CHARACTER At First. That's the point…*_grins_* It begins to unravel and you come to find out…not everything is as it seems. It's one of those stories that makes you go, "WTF??? and OMG!!" A lot. You'll have your Riddick…if you decide to give this story a chance… You'll also be on the edge of your seat (which I find myself doing when I re-read this story and I friggin' wrote it LOL). Please, give it a chance…and I promise, it's worth it. On that note, Enjoy!

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**-His Perspective-  
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Been a while now since I've been around. Been too long. Far too long.

Leaning back against the wall, looking at her, watching her. She doesn't know I'm here. I don't even know if she cares anymore. Kinda hurts. Funny thing…pain. Not like the slice and dice kind. It's that nasty sting that starts somewhere in your gut and finds it's way into your chest. Yea…that one. She's gotten under my skin. But I wonder…does she even know how deep?

So deep that I've traveled across the universe, got my ass sucked into some kind of inter-dimensional worm hole and found myself here. Right here, right now.

I'm so close to her, I can hear her breathing. Does she notice me? Does she sense me standing in the corner, next to the door in her bedroom…as she lies there on the bed? She's curled up on her right side, facing the wall. No…she doesn't. Why? She's passed out. Dreaming from the looks of it. I wonder what she's seeing…

I move slowly, silently. I know she won't wake up. She's in a deep sleep. But I want to savor this moment. Every step will sink into my mind for an eternity. Every drawn out moment I'm in her presence, you bet your ass I'm going to make it last. I've been away too long…way too fucking long.

She shifts and I stop moving. I watch her breathing, she's waking up. _Fuck_.

A groan slithers from her lips as she opens her eyes. She still hasn't looked up yet. I watch her in silence, battling every urge to just go to her. _Not yet…not yet._

"What the fuck…" She spots my shadow. Her eyes are focused on me, squinted. She can't quite make me out. "Damn it wake up!" She growls and rubs her knuckles against her eyes, trying to rub away the sleepiness. I don't move when she looks up again but this time…her eyes are wide. She can see me.

"I'm having a dream…" She states in a flat tone and continues staring at me like a deer in headlights. "…a really vivid dream."

I say nothing and close the small distance from where I'm standing toward the bed. She jumps back when I sit down on the edge, my eyes focused on her face. "A dream huh?" My voice, as low and as dark as possible, passes my lips and has an immediate effect on her. She's shivering.

"No…you're not real." A whisper, choked and scared.

I move a bit closer as she pins herself against the wall. I'm so close now I can feel her breath on my skin, it trickles erratically against my face as I lean even closer. She has no where to run. "Not real huh?" I hear the tone of my voice and almost don't recognize it. I sound like male lion in heat. "If I'm not real then you won't be able to feel me."

She's as still as a corpse when I reach toward her, my right hand hovering just above her chest, right over her heart. I watch her stare at my hand as I let it rest ever so gently on her nightshirt. I'm not sure what to think at the look she's giving me. It's a mixture of disbelief, shock, anger and something else…can't quite put my finger on it.

"Oh god…" Her voice is a sliver of sound echoing through the darkness around us. She sounds so far away. "You…you're real." Stuttering she manages to speak and clenches the sheets in her small hands. Her knuckles show white through the skin. She's terrified.

I can see the realization dawn on her beautiful features. Her lips, so inviting…so plump, press together before she begins worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. I pull my gaze away from her mouth and stare into her eyes, which suddenly seem alive. I swear that I can almost see wheels within wheels turning at a break neck speed. She's trying to rationalize the situation.

"This isn't possible." Her voice is stronger now, almost desperate to prove herself wrong. "You are Not real."

"And why not?" I say and crawl toward her causing her to slide down the wall. Perfect. A window of opportunity has just opened up. "Why is it sooo hard for you to acknowledge the fact that I'm here? Hmmm?" I growl and hover over her, my arms on either side of her body, leaving no room for escape.

"It's not possible." She repeats in a frightened voice and clenches her eyes shut. "Not possible…"

I listen to her trail off and get an idea. Letting my weight rest between her legs, I lower my head and let out a deep, bone chilling growl into her left ear. "Oh I'm _Very _real princess."

She sucks in a sharp breath and snaps her eyes open. My heart damn near breaks at the silent tears that begin rolling down her cheeks. "Please don't hurt me…"

God that voice. I didn't intend for this kind of reaction. _You stupid bastard. _"Jesus baby, you think I'm going to hurt you?" My voice has taken on a completely different tone. One that's broken, soft and unlike me. "You'd think I'd come all this way just to hurt you?"

She opens her mouth to speak but only makes a squeak. The expression on her face is priceless. "You're not?"

"Hell no." I reply and feel her body relax, even if it's just slightly. Any signs of her beginning to calm down is an improvement. "Besides…" My voice trails off into a rumbling sound as I bring my hand to her face and gently run my fingers down her cheek, wiping the tears away. "I'd rather be just like this…lying here, with you close to me."

Her eyes take on a hint of curiosity as her arched brows furrow. "Riddick," She says my name in a strange voice, her eyes expressing the disbelief that she's actually using it to address the real thing. But just hearing my name pass that beautiful mouth lights a fire in my soul. "I know you're not here to hurt me… But why are you here?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

She shakes her head no and I give her a sly smile. "Well…" before I can stop myself the words go rolling off my tongue. "I'm in love."

I feel my heart stop, a lump forms in the back of my throat and I damn near choke on it. I feel so fucking vulnerable right now, and by the look in her eyes… She's shocked too.

_I am in some deep shit now._

**-End Chapter One-**


	2. Chapter 2:: I need coffee…

**-Her Perspective-**

It's been about twenty minutes since I was woken up to this… nightmare. Should I call it that? This…all of this, is just fucking insane. Have I completely lost my mind? First time in a weeks I actually fall asleep. I'm talkin' about full on, **knocked on my ass**, dead sleep. And the next thing I know I wake up to a weird sensation of being watched. Which, when I come to think about it, not so weird. It happens all the time, seeing as I'm naturally Very empathic and I can sense my spiritual guardians keeping watch. But this, is totally different. It's one thing to sense my animal guardians, it's another to see the dark silhouette of a man that **shouldn't** even exist. Yea you better bet your ass you'd be about ready to crawl out of your skin too. I damn near had a full on panic attack. Actually…I think it was a mixture of a full on Anxiety Attack as well as a full forced Panic Attack. No wonder I started crying. Just so you know, I never cry. I've become so calloused with that particular show of emotion that it's damn near impossible to get me to squeeze out a few tears. Especially if someone dies. I'll be the only dry face in the house.

I'm sitting here in my comfy chair across from him in the living room. Left leg tucked under my right leg, coffee cup in my left hand resting on my left thigh, as a cigarette glows softly between the fingers of my right hand. All the while my TV screen is shut off, the blank face mirroring our reflections. He's sitting across from me on the coach, his elbows resting on his knees as his chin rests casually on his knuckles. He's just…staring at me…with those eyes. My apartment, seeing as it's my personal cave, is just dark enough to where he can leave his goggles off.

Why is this happening? My brain is having a hard time rationalizing this. Hell even my very accepting side is baffled. I guess that means my brain and soul are in agreement that something is seriously not right. It goes against everything I've been led to believe.

His voice…**THAT** voice, tears me away from my blurry thoughts.

"Ash your cigarette." He says calmly, his eyes never leaving me.

I look at my hands and notice my cigarette burned out. "Oh…" I reply in a breath and put the dead cig into the ash tray and take a long drink of my coffee, which at any other time, would taste like battery acid. I made it **VERY** strong this time, and opted to skip milk and sugar altogether.

I glance over at him and notice him drain his cup of coffee. He makes a face that at any other time, would have made me laugh. "Damn woman! This shit can clean out a first class star freighter." He muses and mimics my sitting position. "Hell if I had coffee like this back in slam, I would have taken everybody out in a matter of hours."

I chuckle…finally getting more at ease in his presence. "Never heard of it described like that before…" I crack a smile and drink down the rest of my cup, finally tasting how strong I've made it. "I'll take that as a compliment."

A smile begins to emerge from his full lips. "Good, I like to see you smile." Riddick says in a very low, yet tender voice. One that I never thought I'd hear in my entire lifetime. "Would you like another cup?" He asks and is suddenly standing, the cup I gave him looking very small in his hands.

"Uh, sure." I reply, still somewhat dumbfounded that he's being so…I don't know how to put this any other way…sweet to me. "Let me show you where everything is."

I get up, cup in hand and lead him into my small kitchen, which appears to get much smaller with him in it. Without saying a word I take his cup, careful not to brush my hands against his, and poor the rich coffee into both mugs. I daze off, almost a trance like state as I place the coffee pot back in its place, open the frig, get out the milk. I set it down on the counter next to the steaming cups and turn my back on him, go to the cupboard, open it, get out the sugar, close the cupboard, and place the sugar next to the milk. I'm going through a natural routine without really thinking about it as I get out my favorite spoon and then look at him. Snapping completely back to the current situation.

There's that damned smile again. "Make it the way you like it." He purrs and leans his upper body against the wall, his arms held loosely over his massive chest of powerful muscle. _Oh boy…_

I instinctively go through the motions again. A little bit of milk, and just enough sugar to counter the strength of the rich dark liquid. I take a sip of each cup, checking to be certain, and once satisfied I hand him the larger of the two mugs which still seems small in his paw like hands. "You're very precise on how you do things…" He goes to place the edge of the cup to his lips and adds, "I admire that." and finally takes a long drink. He closes his eyes and lets out a sound that can only be described as a deep rumbling growl like purr of appreciation. "Mmm now this…is the good stuff. Anyone ever tell you, you make one hell of a cup of coffee?"

I smile, actually, truly smile. "Yes…but coming from you, makes it a whole new experience." I reply and lean my body against the sink counter, cup in both hands. The warm surface sending little tendrils of heat into my system. "Now that I'm somewhat coherent… Or at least more awake… I'd like to apologize for my reaction earlier." My voice is firm, rational and thoughtful.

He nods while swallowing down another mouthful of coffee. "Think nothing of it." That smile appears again and I find myself smiling back, but I realize this and bring my eyes to my feet. Finding the kitchen floor suddenly very fascinating.

"Hey…" I hear his voice right in front of me, so strong, so real.

I nearly drop the cup in my hands when his fingers…the very fingers that have been known to kill a man… Become so gentle as they touch the bottom of my chin and slowly ease my eyes up to meet his. I swallow hard and feel my heart thunder behind the confines of my ribcage. "You gonna be ok?" It's his tone… I can't even describe it. He sounds concerned, gentle, and loving almost. This is **REALLY** freaking me out.

"Uh…yea. I'll be ok." I manage to force out in a strained whisper. I sound emotionally exhausted. I know it, and he knows it. I suddenly remember the look on his face, the same one he's wearing now… Vulnerable. How odd… But wait a minute…didn't he say something about being in love earlier? No… No he couldn't have… Did he? Shit I can't remember! I was half rational at that point. Oh dear…his brow just furrowed. He's giving me an odd look. Does he know what I'm thinking? Can he feel it? _Oh shit…oh shit oh shit…_

His voice deepens, growling almost. It trickles through my nerves sending fire through my veins. "I think we need to go sit down and have a talk." He's very direct and I have absolutely no problem complying.

How would you react if you had a Beast of a man standing in front of you, asking you…but really Telling you in a very commanding tone to go sit and have a talk? How would you feel? I sure as hell don't feel too confident in my sponge bob square pants pajamas…that's for damned sure. I'm about as dangerous as a dust bunny faced with a vacuum cleaner.

_**Grr…fear me. **_Riiiight. Like that's gonna happen.

_I am so screwed…_

**-End Chapter Two-**


	3. Chapter 3:: Down to Basics

**::Outside Perspective::**

She walked behind Riddick in silence. It was a short distance between the kitchen into the living room. But somehow felt like an eternity to both of them. He motioned for her to sit beside him on the couch and she did so, clutching onto her coffee cup for dear life. Riddick took a deep needed breath, contemplating how he was going to explain why and how he had come this far…not to mention his feelings for her. This was something he was NOT prepared to face. But he had to. Even if it was against his own wishes, she had to have some kind of explanation. If anything…it might ease the tension that lingered in the air like an invisible plague.

"You're probably wondering why I'm here." He began in a low voice, obviously fighting with himself to get it out into the open.

She noticed his discomfort and shifted in her seat, so she could look at him. "Well…yea." She replied honestly and took a sip of her coffee. "I mean, it's not every day Riddick…THE Richard B Riddick, escaped convict, murderer… Just appears." It was an attempt at amusement but he gave her a look that made her smile instantly disappear. "I'm sorry…"

"No, don't be." He said quickly and placed his hand on hers hoping it would comfort her. Instead she grew stiff. "Why do you tense up every time I touch you?"

Her eyes widened and then closed as she let out a sigh. "I'm…still not used this." She paused to look into his eyes. "This seems unreal, you know? And you're really here… It's just weird."

Riddick nodded and gave her hand a squeeze, not letting go. "I know…trust me. I'm about as surprised as you are."

"Really?" She watched him nod again and suddenly felt a shiver of courage trickle through her spine. "Good…but there's something I'm not so sure about."

"What's that?" He asked in a soft voice, unable to take his quick silver gaze away from his ethereal beauty.

Taking a very deep breath, she let it out and bit her bottom lip. _Come on…just ask him. He's not going to hurt you_. "There was something you said…earlier in the bedroom when you told me you weren't here to hurt me."

Riddick listened attentively and felt his heartbeat pound just a little faster. He knew what she was getting at, but he just couldn't stop her from saying it. As though hearing her ask about it, gave him some sort of encouragement.

"You…" Her heart fluttered and she lost her voice. His eyes seemed to shimmer as she took another breath, "…said you were in love." Afraid of his reaction she tore her eyes away from his and looked to the carpet. Terrified would be a better word for it.

"You heard right." Riddick replied in a calm tone and made a point to have another drink of his coffee.

Her eyes shot back to him and noticed how normal he was acting. This really got under her skin. "Um…care to elaborate?"

It was an innocent question coming from the mouth of the one person he never thought he'd be drinking very strong coffee with. And as he said, she knew how to make it just the way he liked it. _Wonder if her lips have the same effect… _"I wouldn't have said if I didn't mean it." He replied in short and drained the rest of his coffee. Knowing full well that he was avoiding the question altogether.

"Riddick look, I'm in no way trying to make you uncomfortable but I'm a little on the confused side here." She explained as strength began showing itself in her voice. "You have to understand that this entire situation is beyond insane if you look at rationally. And from my point of view, right now? I feel a little crazy."

"Onyx…" His voice was a growl, husky and dangerous in its path to her ears. She stopped thinking immediately as he became her entire universe by the mere sound of him speaking her name. "There's a lot to explain, but we've got all night for that."

"You're avoiding the question Riddick." She retorted softly and pulled her legs under her, Indian style. "I've never met you, and yet you act as though you've known me for years." Onyx knew that getting angry wasn't going to help but she wasn't going to be submissive. She was going to be herself. Period. "Explain that."

Riddick felt the emotion change in her voice and set his empty cup next to him on a small table to his left. She wanted answers. He was going to give them to her. "You want the truth Miss Onyx?" His voice, against his own wishes, became harsh and wicked. But it seemed to have no effect on her… _How interesting. _"You know this act your playin' isn't working on me. I know you're scared of me."

Was she scared? Oh hell yes. Was she going to let him know it? That's a big fat NO. If he wanted to play who's more thick headed, she was pretty sure who would win. And it was NOT going to be him. "So? What if I am? That doesn't change the fact that your trying to evade answering me."

_Damn…talk about stubborn. _Riddick thought and was somewhat pleasantly surprised at how well she was holding up. Young lady had some spirit in her. "You're so called 'Dreams' are linked with mine. Ever wonder why everything felt so real when we'd meet? Why my touch…" His devastatingly low growl of voice slithered through her body nearly causing her to shiver as he slid his hand up her arm. "…felt so real?"

Just his touch sent her blood into a liquid fire, scolding every inch of her being with an essence of terrified curiosity. It felt so good…so…familiar. She trembled and pulled away from him. Her eyes showing the shocked confusion that was weaving through her mind. "But…"

He cut her off. "I was dreaming with you. I don't know how it's possible, but it is. And somehow I found myself searching for you. Me. Richard B Riddick, who should be watching his ass for Mercs made a point to look for a woman that may not exist."

"You're speaking in third person." Onyx spat before thinking and felt the blood rush to her face. "Sorry…force of habit."

"You finished?" He growled, not because she pissed him off, but because this was hard enough on his ego. The expression she gave him only made it harder. Her eyes were angry, her jaws clenched shut, the muscles twitching.

"By all means…continue." Onyx growled and glared at him. It DID feel like she knew him forever. Because only someone she's known for years would be able to get under her skin the way he had. _Asshole._

"Remember the last dream you had with me in it? We were here, just like we are now, talking? Do you remember that?" Riddick saw the immediate recognition in her eyes as soon as he mentioned it. She knew exactly what he was talking about. Why? Because her face was turning a bright shade of red, something he hadn't seen in a woman in a very long time. And the lighting in her apartment was just low enough to where he could actually see the colors as though he had normal eyes.

Onyx couldn't reply. How could she? When in the dream…the events that followed were…intimate. Her heart felt like it was going to flutter right out of her chest when she remembered how…REAL he felt against her flesh. How tender, and passionate his movements were… The heat of kiss, soft and gentle. The way he touched her body and made her feel more loved then any man before him.

Riddick watched her breathing suddenly shift to where she was damn near hyperventilating. She was starting to have an Anxiety attack. "Calm down baby." His voice was suddenly gentle again, with concern as her body began to tremble. Taking the cup from her shaking hands he set it next to his empty mug on the small table and pulled her into his arms. Both legs on either side of her body, her back pressed firmly against his chest, he held her there. Hoping that this wasn't going to get worse, hoping that she could overcome the anxiety and relax. He hated this. Riddick hated seeing her like this…knowing full well, himself…how vulnerable it makes a person feel. And he was going to make damned sure she felt protected.

"I'm sorry." She expressed in a shaky voice and tried to push the feeling away. Her mind had gone into chaos as an onslaught of emotions, tangled and unleashed had overwhelmed her. She was fighting it, but with his strong, beautifully sculpted arms wrapped possessively around her body…it only made the fight into a battle.

"It's ok baby…just try calm down." He spoke softly into her right ear and made a point to brush a few wilds strands away from her neck. "I'm not going anywhere, I won't let anything happen to you." Then, the words that poured from her lips tore him apart inside.

"Why now Riddick?" Onyx asked in a whisper as tears began to flood her eyes. "Why is this happening?" She clenched her eyes shut as he pulled her closer, and in a way, she was thankful for his affection. "I've been alone for so long…" Broken was the words as she struggled against the tears that began dancing down her flesh. She felt completely helpless. "…I've only had the dreams to keep me sane…and now this? I'm so lost."

He was at loss at what to say. He knew what she was saying better then anyone else. She had told him in the so called dreams, how alone she was. And how men had used her, chewed her up and spit her out without so much as giving a shit of how it would effect her. She was broken and all because of fucking bottom feeders that called themselves 'men' took what they wanted and left her to pick up the pieces. It was a wound he himself knew all too well. Being abandoned. Oh yes, he knew that feeling better then anyone.

Without a word he gently moved her around in his lap, so that she was facing him. His jaws tensed at the sight of her crying silent tears. Emotion was very alive in his system when he used his large hands, to carefully wipe the streams of sadness from her soft skin. "I won't abandon you." Riddick said while searching her eyes with his. "You hear me? I will Not abandon you."

Onyx felt the lump form in the back of her throat and struggled to swallow it down, letting a soft cough. "You won't?" She choked out between short breaths and felt his hands cup the side of her face.

"I won't." He replied in a low, husky growl…leaned close, so much closer then he had ever dreamed… And left a soft, soul awakening kiss on her trembling lips.

Changing _everything._

**-End Chapter Three-**


	4. Chapter 4:: Scattered Bed sheets

**-His Perspective-**

I want to touch her all over. Feel every inch of that beautiful, soft, firm skin beneath my hands. Her lips, dear god…worth a life time of searching. I would skin a man alive just to feel this…

She's shaking but not as badly as before. Her body, so close, so alive. The things I'm going to do to this body… _Not yet_. I don't want to put too much pressure on her. But I'd love to feel it…all around me…tight, wet and filled with a white hot heat. Oh man how am I going to keep myself restrained when her body is begging for it? Her hormones are rising into the air, damn near choking me. Onyx has no idea what this is doing to me. Just kissing her… Those full lips pressing against mine, the way a woman should…the way I've always dreamed it would be… I better get a grip on myself before this gets out of hand… I know something she could grip for me… _Damn Riddick, think with your head and not with your dick._

**::Her Perspective::**

Oh my god. What am I doing? What is He doing? What the hell is happening??? Oh god…oh god his mouth. I can't breathe. I can't think. He feels so good. His lips…dear god his lips! They're…amazing. So soft, he's so gentle. He's hands are caressing my back, up and down, so slowly, carefully. It feels as though he's fighting with himself. I can feel it in the way he's kissing me. Oh god his mouth…so hot and inviting. Whoa…am I straddling him? How'd he move me? Wait… Why do I care?

His scent…wow. It's wild and musky. It stings the back my tongue…I wonder what he tastes like? Oh god why is this happening? How is any of this possible? Riddick…Mr. billy bad ass himself…wants…me? Whoa…my brain hurts. Don't think just feel Onyx.

**::Outside Perspective::**

Locked in a long passionate kiss, Riddick pulled her over his legs, letting her straddle his lap. Utterly consumed in the essence of her. He couldn't think of anything **but** her. The need to feel her…**ALL** of her, began to eat away at his reason, his logic. Igniting a fire so wild he could feel the heat rising to his skin.

Breathing hard, he pulled away and placed his forehead against hers. Panting heavily, both Riddick and Onyx closed their eyes, trying to regain some kind of composure…control. There was a terrible ache, starting somewhere in the abyss of their souls until it reached the surface. Causing their body temperatures to rise to a dangerous level.

Onyx took a deep breath and forced herself to look into his eyes. As though linked, he met her gaze…and found himself lost in the beauty of her. She was so open to him, so…vulnerable in the way she looked back at him. Riddick had never had this before… Someone so pure and so animal like in her innocence…looking at him with so much acceptance. He was damn near breathless. It was in that moment he realized…

He wanted more then anything…to make love to her.

With his assistance he wrapped her arms around his muscular neck, and pulled her legs around his waist until she responded by holding herself there. He gave a small smile at how strong her thighs and calves felt as he stood up, her body locked against his. "Hell of a grip you've got there." Riddick chimed as he made his way into the confines of her bedroom.

A hint of smile sparkled through her eyes as she teased his mouth with her lips. "You have no idea…" She purred in a voice so seductive it caused a growl to rumble through his chest.

"Oh is that so?" Riddick murmured in a tone so deliciously alluring, she could feel it touch her in places she didn't know had nerve endings.

Without warning he had her pinned down beneath him as he sank onto the bed. Her body wiggled a little, rubbing her heat against his suddenly very uncomfortable pants. He let out growl that caused a soft squeak to escape her lips. The very sound of it made him grin evilly and let out another rich, deep growl as he pressed himself against her in response.

Riddick watched as she closed her eyes and bit her bottom lip. "God…the things I'm going to do to you." He announced in _**that voice**_, and let his hands slip down the curves of her body. He almost snarled when his hands found the hem of her shirt and began pulling it up.

Onyx sat up enough to let him slip her shirt over her head and tossed it carelessly onto the floor. She was slightly afraid…knowing that once he took off her pajamas…she would be completely naked. She took a deep breath when he kissed her softly and whispered, "…relax baby. Let me do this." She nodded at his words, took a slow breath and held it as she fell back, her arms crossing over her breasts protectively.

Slowly, so very slowly, Riddick made his way down, his lips leaving a trail of hot kisses in his wake toward the hem of her pants. He felt her body tense and relax as he hooked his fingers under the elastic, stretched it out and began pulling the stretchy material down her gorgeous hips…then down her strong thighs, over her powerful calves until he slipped the pants away from her feet and threw them to the side. Keeping himself under control he felt his inner animal snarl at the uncomfortable way his pants were tightening.

Sliding off the edge of the bed with his knees, Riddick set his feet firmly on the floor and stood before her. He gazed down at her with such a hungry expression she grew a little tense. Seeing this, he gave that warm, beautiful smile and was relieved when she finally let out her breath and her body relaxed. With a playful wiggle of his brow he took his belt in his hands, and in a blinding speed, removed his belt as well as his pants and tossed them in random directions. A few more quick movements and there he was…completely and utterly exposed to her.

Onyx's eyes grew wide at the very sight of him. And found it somewhat convenient how small streams of moonlight bled through cracks in the blinds of her windows. Riddick was…a creature unlike any she had ever gazed on. Every muscle perfectly crafted, and sculpted. She watched in silent awe how each one moved and reacted under his deliciously bronzed skin. And oh god how he moved…

She felt herself terrified and in utter amazement at how graceful he became as he literally Crawled back onto the bed. His massive shoulders dipping and swaying as he made his way toward her naked form. She kept her eyes on his as he maneuvered himself between her legs, just barely brushing the hard length of his arousal against the soft curls of her inner most secret.

He was fighting himself. Fighting the urge to just slam every inch of himself into the enveloping heat of her body. But with an amazing resilience he placed himself comfortably against her, and held his upper body up by his elbows, his hands gently touching her face.

"You ok?" She heard him say in a voice just above a purr. Looking into his eyes she saw the concern swimming just beneath the surface of his mercury filled gaze.

"I think so…" She replied softly and felt him twitch against her. She sucked in a breath and slowly wrapped her legs around him, knowing…that very soon…she would feel more then in any dream she's ever had.

Riddick bent down, and left her breathless in a deep, sensual kiss. One that caused his skin to tingle as though electricity shot through his body. "Just…breathe." His voice had dropped to an octave that no longer seemed human. It sounded predatory, hungry…lustful. And as it left a trail of fire through her ears he lifted his mid section just enough to press the tip of his erection at her opening and felt her pulse around him.

He growled…dipped…and felt the world fall away…

**-End Chapter Four-**


	5. Chapter 5:: Forbidden Emotion

**WARNING:: Major Kinky Soul Shattering Sex! Viewer Discretion is Advised!**

**::Outside Perspective::**

Riddick forced himself to stop when she let out a whimper of pain. She was so incredibly tight, he was almost baffled by it. This was Nothing like in the dreams. The reality of her body, her heat, the sheer sensation of her…he almost lost it. He had to move slowly otherwise he would hurt her and there was no way in hell he was going to let that happen.

She held him hard against her, trying to force away the pain of his entry. Jesus he was big! His girth alone would make it a real struggle to walk for a week afterward. Onyx hated her body at that moment. Hated the fact that she had to be so fucking 'uptight'…_literally_. It had been such a long time since anyone had…done this act with her, her body had taken back its original shape. Evil body and its evil regenerative powers.

He slipped very carefully in and out of her opening with just the head of his throbbing cock. It was Killing him. Just doing that motion was causing everything inside to tangle up into a web of energy…ready to explode at any moment. Riddick let out the deepest, most animalistic growl as he felt himself sliding just a little deeper, a little further. It got to the point where he couldn't take it anymore and pushed every thick, pulsing inch of himself into her tight, hot tunnel.

Onyx let out a hiss between her clenched jaws and felt him throb deep inside. She couldn't stop the trembling that took over her body as his hot breath swept over her face. Looking up, she saw his eyes… They were…**glowing**.

His mouth devoured hers in a way that made her heart feel like it was about to implode. Everything became a blur, as though reality had slipped into the abyss of a dreamscape. Where nothing else mattered. It was only Riddick, connected to her, filling her emptiness in way that could never be erased. A feeling of being whole, and knowing that you're not alone… A feeling that can only be described as complete…

She shuttered and let out a soft moan as he began moving. She could feel him diving so carefully into the depths of her core… Only to begin pulling back out, where she was literally begging him to fill that emptiness with a small thrust of her hips.

His lips traveled to the nape of her neck, teeth grazing, tongue lapping the salty skin. He felt her shiver all over, her inner walls pulsing and quaking as he sank his teeth into the hot flesh, marking her. Riddick bit down and started moving faster, pumping harder into her white hot cunt, loving the way she squirmed. Thriving on the way her nails found the flesh of his back and began to drag… Tearing the skin in a fit of passion.

Riddick snarled, forcing himself to remain at his steady pace as her body matched his thrusts with her own. Sheets became mangled, sweat began dripping and mixing as their bodies became a single entity of sexual need. He felt himself twitch deep within her as her moans became ragged and choked. But then he remembered something… If he slowed down…just enough, and matched her movements…he could bring her to that point of no return.

That was If he forced himself to calm down.

Onyx growled softly and bit his neck in retaliation. She was in a complete state of primal instinct. Her body wanted to feel his searing hot cum fill her until she couldn't feel anything _**but him**_. But as the primal thought danced through her blurry mind she felt his pace change. His movements became slow, sensual. She could Feel the emotion in the way he gently dipped into her, the muscles of his body revealing great control.

"Oh god…" She murmured in a broken voice of realization and felt the tingle start as Riddick continued moving against her in his controlled rhythm.

He looked down and saw the look of shock in her eyes. A smile, one that would make the heavens weep at the very beauty of it, dawned across his face. "That's it baby… Just let go."

Tears began to swell behind her eyes, but not of pain or sorrow… They were trickles of emotion dancing wildly down the sides of her face as that tingle began to manifest into an entity all its own.

Her breathing changed, her hips desperate against his body as Riddick slid himself deeper, pressing his pelvis against the very spot that would be her release. He felt the small tremors all around him as her heartbeat became a wild drumming in his keen ears. He clenched his teeth and felt the same tickle of ecstasy begin to boil within his veins. She was starting to get closer, every pump of his cock, every breath that she whispered in a fragile moan. Riddick was losing himself in the essence of her.

Onyx took his face in her small hands and devoured his wanting mouth in a drowning kiss of unbridled passion. His lips, soft and hungry, kissed her back in small teasing, half kisses that only made her growling for more. Oh god she wanted him. Wanted him like a starving drug addict desperate for just one more fix. He was giving her life, breaking away the fortress that towered around her wounded heart. Riddick was reaching her on a level no creature in her existence ever had. He was the light guiding her through the darkness. He was leading her home.

Pulsing, quaking, the need to release, to let the juices flow and weave, Riddick was so very close. But he refrained, with every fiber of his screaming, raging being, he waited. He could feel the tremors from within gaining speed and rhythm. She was so close. He wanted her to let go. Stop fighting it and just give in to him.

"Onyx…" She was immersed in the rumbling sound of his gravely voice and locked her eyes with his. She was staring straight into his soul. "Cum for me." Riddick demanded and felt her body shake violently in reply. "Do it baby…cum all over my cock."

Taking a deep breath she felt all the walls of reality strip and break away. Her body was suddenly overwhelmed in waves of violent tremors as she lost the ability to speak. Bucking hard against his body, the waves of pure unleashed ecstasy ripped through her.

Riddick watched as her head fell back, body arched up and felt her blinding hot tunnel squeeze his engorged cock. Then it happened…

In a moment of unrestrained release he felt himself succumb to the climax that began at the tightening of his balls. His body tensed up as he began to pound wildly into her. Every muscle in his body screamed out as he slammed her hard into the bed, his blood racing, his breath flowing in short gusts of air when all at once he let out a deafening roar that echoed into the darkness that embraced them.

Onyx let out a howl to match his roar as searing liquid heat filled her aching womb until she lost the will to breathe and collapsed beneath him.

Panting…completely exhausted from the intensity of their orgasms… They stopped moving. And in that vulnerable silence, Riddick brought his lips to hers, left a gentle, tender kiss there and whispered… "I Love You."

Choking on the sheer emotion of his voice, she let tears fall into the tangled sheets beneath her head. "And I Love You…Riddick."

He kissed her once more and pulled out slowly, knowing that she would be in a bit of pain after the workout he gave her. With a warm smile, his eyes heavy with desire, he curled up behind her and pulled her close into his tired arms.

Thankful…beyond words…that he had finally found heaven.

**-End Chapter Five-**


	6. Chapter 6:: New Day, A New Pot of Coffee

**::Her Perspective::**

Sheets tangled, silky and cool against my flesh. I open my eyes and see light dancing through the swaying blinds as a playful breeze trickles through the open window. I push up on my elbows, the pillow crumpled up beneath my hands as my hair falls around my face. I let out a yawn, stretch my sore back like a cat waking up under the golden rays of a smiling sun. I feel different… As though a massive weight has been lifted from my chest. Interesting thought as I sit up fully and drag myself out of bed. I stand up and blink my eyes a few times… "Oh shit." I think aloud, realizing that I'm fully naked. The wheels within my brain begin cranking and I start to remember the events of the night before… "…Oh…"

I hear the sound of my voice trail off into the air around me. It's an almost alien sound, one I'm not fully capable of recognizing at the moment. Half asleep, half confused, and mostly in shock.

I'm just…standing here, baffled.

Breaking myself away from the current of blinding thoughts I find my Pajama's neatly folded at the corner of my bed. Another moment of me standing here in shock.

I reach out, hands shaking and bring my Sponge Bob Square pants Pajamas close to my body. Looking at the material of my clothes as if it's some kind of creature that crawled out my closet. I snap out of it, and decide to get dressed, even if my brain is having trouble accepting this.

Once clothed, I pull my arms in and cross them protectively against my chest. I feel Really awkward right now. I'm trying to understand my memories… They're not sitting well with my logic. I growl and shake off the feeling and make myself open the door to my bedroom and step into the very small hallway of my apartment. I catch a faint scent of meat, hanging in the air as if taunting me. Unable to really grasp any of my acute senses I let out another yawn and grumble as my bladder begins to protest. Legs shaky and heavy with sleep I literally have to drag myself through another door to my immediate right, where the bathroom waits patiently for my arrival.

I close the door, pass the bathtub and make my way to the toilet. Meanwhile, my brain is still shuffling through the pages of my thoughts. Organizing and rearranging the chaos they seem to be in. I proceed to pee and suddenly hiss in pain. "Damn it!" I growl and find myself being slammed with the events that just passed only Hours ago. The soreness of my most intimate of places giving me a very real reminder of what I had been put through. Or what I allowed to be put through…

Finished in the bathroom after brushing my teeth and washing my face, I slowly, make my way into my living room. My body makes a point to remind me that I indeed have nerve endings and that they don't appreciate being abused. Fucking body.

The scent of eggs, bacon and coffee hit me in a wave. My eyes widen then narrow as I inch my way on silent feet toward the small dining room. I can hear the coffee pot making a funny bubbling sound as it brews a fresh pot of coffee, then the sound bacon sizzling in a large pan on the stove… "What the…" My voice, once again trails off as I stand at the doorframe of my kitchen, which once had a door but was removed long before I moved in. I'm in complete shock of the vision before me.

Standing at my ancient stove is none other then Riddick himself. Wearing only pants and his goggles. I'm standing here, completely speechless as he places the last four pieces of bacon on a plate with a dozen others, scrambled eggs on another plate while two mugs, clean from the looks of it… One large, One small sit on the counter with the milk and sugar along side.

My hand covers my mouth, holding in the gasp of amazement clinging somewhere in the depths of my throat. If I could speak right now it would be an incoherent squeak. Instead, his voice rumbles through the air, sending tingles down my spine, making it a battle to stay upright.

"Morning gorgeous." He purrs in a seductive lull of a voice and starts pouring the fresh pot of coffee into the mugs. "I was actually about to come in and wake you up."

I don't say anything. I don't think I can even form a sentence at this point. If this is what shock feels like, it really sucks. I can't move, I can't speak. The only thing I'm even capable of right now…is to just breathe and blink.

Riddick chuckles at the sight of my expression and walks over to me. I look at that chest, those arms…that stomach. I can see every inch of rippling muscle under the gorgeous landscape of his upper body so perfectly as sunlight flows through the open window. Oh mother of all things incredible! He's just…magnificent! I can't stop staring at him… He's… Beautiful.

"Did you hear anything I just said?"

I blink and close my mouth. Was I just drooling? "Umm… I'm sorry I'm not awake yet." I reply and clear my throat, averting my gaze.

I hear the growling huff and feel his hands take hold of my arms. "That's why you're going to go sit down at the table and eat breakfast with me." He says in a charming tone, turns me around and leads me to the small table. Pulls out my chair, waits until I sit and pushes me in. Riddick chuckles, but I swear his chest just vibrated. "Don't fall asleep on me." And vanishes back into the kitchen.

After a few minutes, which seem like an eternity as I just sit here staring at the wooden surface of the table, he trots back in and starts setting things out in front of me. Two plates with eggs and bacon, which are starting to look seriously good. Then he sets my cup of coffee next to my plate as he pulls up a chair and sits, a catty smile dancing on the valley of his full lips.

I pick up my cup and take a slow sip. To my pleasant surprise, it's really good! "Wow…that's some good coffee." I say and drink down a mouthful, enjoying the rich warmth as it trickles down my throat.

Riddick has this smile, one that you have to see to believe. "Wait 'til you've tried the eggs." He announces, with a hint of pride in his voice.

_Oh what the hell? It smells good…_ I pick up my fork and get some of the scrambled egg that's just waiting to be devoured on my plate, and put it in my mouth. Instant food-gasm! I let out a happy sigh and decide to take a bite of the bacon. "Oh muh gawd." I murmur with a mouth full of delicious food and watch him let out a full bellied laugh. It's a rich, joyful sound that seems to fill the trenches of my mind with a feeling of warmth. God…I love his laugh.

"Go ahead and chow down." He announces and starts to devour the food in front of him.

I look down at my food and suddenly find myself ravenous. I feel like I haven't eaten in a month…oh and the food…perfect. The man is full of wonderful surprises. The eggs, the bacon and wow the coffee… I feel like I'm in heaven. Am I in heaven? How did this happen? How did this beautiful fallen angel come to be with me…here and now? Should I even question it?

With a belly full and an empty plate I hold my cup of rich coffee in my hands and find myself gazing at him. He's still eating, well his third plate actually. Man has a beast of an appetite that I find strangely endearing. Then I realize he must not have a had a real home cooked meal in sometime. Or maybe ever. And there's this thought that makes my skin crawl. I have a wanted murderer in my home…a man that I barely know anything about. But…I'm not afraid of him. As weird as it sounds…I'm not. I'm actually…comforted by the fact that he's here. Grateful in fact. Hmm…how odd.

Finally finished, his plate empty he begins to polish off his third cup of coffee and turns his covered gaze toward me, a furrow in his brow. "What?" He asks in a curious tone.

I give a soft giggle before draining my cup. "Nothin'." I admit with a shrug of my shoulders and stand up. I go back into the kitchen, about to refill my cup when I suddenly feel the heat of his breath on the back of my neck. It literally sends electricity through my nerves. "Want some more?" I ask in a controlled voice and hold up the pot for him.

His paw of a hand touches my shoulder then slowly, slides down the length of my arm, completely covers my much smaller hand with his and slips his fingers over mine. "Oh yes…I do." Riddick growls into my ear causing me to suck in a sharp breath as his lips are suddenly brushing against the nape of my neck. And as this is happening he's pouring himself another cup, his hand still covering mine as I hold onto the handle for dear life.

I'm trying to remain as sane as possible as he gracefully places the pot back in its holder, pulls my hand away from the handle and brings it to my waist. I wait in silence as he takes my left hand in his, brings it to meet my other hand in front of me as his bare chest of immense power presses up against my back. The small lump in the back of my throat is forced down in a choked swallow when I realize… He's holding me. Riddick is holding me…

Before I can stop myself I entangle my fingers with his, pull his arms closer and lean my head back against his chest and close my eyes. I feel his chest rise and fall slowly as he breathes…and leaves a small kiss on my left temple. I smile. "I'm in heaven." I murmur softly and can sense him smile.

"You know what would make this moment even more perfect?" Riddick purrs low and deep into my ear and kisses my neck with those full lips. "A long…hot shower."

My eyes snap open as my brain screams. _Oh dear god…_

**-End Chapter Six-**


	7. Chapter 7:: The Art of Understanding

**::His Perspective::**

I'm blessed. I hate to say it, seeing as me and god don't see eye to eye… But it's true. She is my heaven. I never thought in all my years that I would finally be…happy. It's a strange feeling honestly. Feeling wanted…accepted. Put one hell of a hole in my heart that's for damned sure. She's leaning against me, completely relaxed. Well…was until I made the comment about the shower. I felt her heartbeat jump. It's all good though. I know this is all new to her. Hell it ain't a picnic for me either. The emotional part. I accept it, still don't fully understand it. I guess that comes with the territory.

"Come on baby…let's get into the shower." I try to say it as softly as possible but my damned voice has that animalistic tone to it. Hey, it's not like I can control it. It wasn't my fault I was born with such an effective voice.

Cocky of me? Heh…a little.

I lead her gently through the small apartment and into the bathroom. She has an odd crease in her brow. It's kinda cute how her face crunches up around her nose when she thinks. Reminds me of a pissed off ferret. Probably shouldn't tell her that.

"What? What's wrong?" Her voice catches my attention and I realize I've been staring down at her.

I crack a half smile and shake my head. "You don't wanna know."

She raises a brow in question, "don't want to know what?"

I turn away and go to the bathtub, pull back the shower curtain and stare at three handles. "Which one does what?" I ask, completely ignoring her question.

I hear her huff as she pushes herself in front of me and stands between me and my objective. "Answer my question and I'll show you."

Letting out a growl I lean back, place my left hand flat against the door and close it. Never taking my eyes off her. "You're really stubborn you know that?"

The expression on her face tells me she's not in the mood. I guess she's not a morning person. "You really want to know?" I ask and watch her sit on the edge of the tub, cross her arms and nods. "You remind me of a pissed off ferret when you make that face."

"What face??" She barks and narrows her eyes. Her face crunching around her small nose…

I try to hold in the chuckle but fail. She's just too fucking cute. "That one." I say simply with an evil grin and watch her give me a look that could kill. Again…cute. "So you gonna show me how this shit works or do I have to figure it out myself?"

"Fine…moose." She retorts under her breath and stands up. Turning her back on me I get a really good look at her hair. It's…gorgeous. The way it flows in loose waves down her back and stops just above that plump ass. Mmm and what a fine ass it is. It's definitely something I could admire for hours. I feel my mouth water at the thought that very soon… I'm going to be seeing that gorgeous body fully naked and wet.

"Hey… Riddick?" Onyx snaps her fingers and breaks my little fantasy. "The one at the far left is hot water, the one to the far right is cold and the one in the middle turns on the shower." She explains and pulls the solid piece of metal from the wall and presto. Hot water flows from the showerhead.

"Easy enough." I say in a husky voice and continue looking down at her. Seems she doesn't know what I'm up to. I should probably fill her in. "By all means, ladies first." I purr in a mischievous voice and motion my hand toward the shower.

Her expression changes. Her eyes…suddenly very vulnerable. Understanding her silence I nod and turn away from her. It seems she's still not used to being naked in front of me. Heh…wonder how she's going to react when she finds my naked self pressed against her in the shower? I know I'm being a pervert but what do you expect? I am a man and this is the first time…in a **LONG** time, that I've been able to take a shower…with a very beautiful woman. Seriously, how'd you react?

She's in the shower when I turn around and step out of my pants. I pull the curtain back just enough to slip myself silently inside and then pull it back. _Well now…hello._

The water trickles down her body in waves as steam rises, billowing and twisting in small clouds only to vanish into the ceiling. Her back is to me, her arms held across her chest. Damn it… Why does she have to do that? It kills me to see her like this. I swear that if I ever get my hands on the motha-fuckas that made her like this I'm going to make them wish they were never born…

As the urge to kill swims through my heated blood I hear her soft voice pull me back to reality. "Riddick…you still there?" She asks in that voice that only tears me apart.

I can't stop myself as I slide up behind her and let my hands trail gently down the naked flesh of her arms. She shivers at my touch and relaxes when I bring my fingers back up. That's when I notice something on her upper right arm, near her shoulder. Carefully, I urge her with my hands to turn toward me. I can feel her struggle with herself as she looks down and faces me, her arms held over her breasts as though shielding her heart from being broken.

I narrow my eyes as my goggles start to fog up. "Is that a tattoo?" I ask in a growl, trying my best to sound as normal as possible.

Bringing her eyes up she looks at me and nods. "It's a tribal." She explains and shows me her arm, with an incredible design etched into her soft flesh. "It kinda looks like a shiv, huh?"

A smile stretches my lips as I let the fingers of my right hand trail over the intricate lines of her tattoo. "Yea…it does. When'd you get it?"

"'Bout four years ago when I was around twenty." Onyx replies with a hint of sadness in her voice. I go to make a remark when she gives me a shrug of her shoulders and smiles. "It means a lot to me…" She trails off and narrows her eyes, obviously staring at my goggles. "Can you see ok? They're gettin' a bit foggy."

"I'll survive." I chime and let out a sigh. "So where should I start?"

Her eyes widen and then become thoughtful, almost mischievous. "Well people usually take soap and…"

I don't let her finish. "I mean where do I start…on you?"

She swallows hard and looks down. "I can handle it." Onyx replies in a whisper which only makes it harder for me to keep up the smart ass act. I don't know how the hell she does it, but somehow she's starting to tame me.

I bet you never thought I'd say that…did you?

I grumble under my breath, glance around the tub and find what I'm looking for. It's small, smells like flowers and damn near slips out of my hand. "Come here and turn around." I say and motion with a nod of my head. She turns, backs up until she's right in front of me, grabs her hair and pulls it onto her chest.

This is when I get a full view of those curves. She's got the body of a Greek goddess and an ass I could easily see myself slamming against. I feel that familiar twitch and look down at my cock.

_Not now you little bastard or I'll be forced to cut you off._ It immediately goes back into hiding, letting me return to what I was previously doing. Wait…what was I doing? Oh, yea… I get to rub her down. _That was not an invitation you little shit…_

**::Her Perspective::**

He's hesitating. Jesus what the hell am I doing? I'm **NAKED** in front of Riddick… Wait… He's **NAKED**. _Oh boy…oh boy…_

I'm trying to focus on the heat of the water hitting the front of my body when his hands start rubbing my bar of soap into my back. _Oh god… Just breathe woman… _Out of nowhere I let out a small burp and feel his hands stop. "Oh excuse me." I squeak out and cover my mouth.

He barks out an appreciative laugh that literally causes my ears to ring. "Damn woman…you're going to be the death of me." He manages between breaths and starts moving those amazing hands over my back again.

As his hands move, his fingers begin pressing and pushing into the tired flesh and I swear to god I can't help the moan that escapes my lips. I can feel the rumble before I hear the growl as his hands move lower, trailing his fingers over my lower back and kneading the tight muscles. I have to shift on my feet or I'd collapse against him. I'm starting to think he's aiming for that…

I try to breathe and find myself starting to pant. He's making my head spin as his hands go a littler further, reaching my ass. I gasp as he begins exploring my curves. Riddick, a man known to be a brutal killer with just his hands, is touching me as though I'm a fragile treasure. That's when his hands start to slip away from my waist, toward my stomach and I can't help but giggle. Fucking nerve endings. But as soon as the giggles appear I'm silenced by his firm, toned skin pressing against my back.

Of course…that's not the only thing I notice pressed against me…twitching.

Should I? I mean…why not? What woman in her right mind wouldn't take this perfect opportunity to ravage him? Maybe I'm not in my right mind… I don't even know if it's there anymore. I think I lost it the moment I felt the smaller Riddick pushing into my lower back.

_Aw fuck it. You only live once…right?_

My right hand reaches back and finds exactly what I'm searching for. I feel him suck in a sharp breath as I wrap my small hand around his cock. _Dear god you've gotta be shittin' me! He's…fucking huge. Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating…_ I give him a full squeeze, release and slip my palm up and down over his entire length and feel my heartbeat speed up to about eight G's. _Nope…he's __**BIG**__ everywhere… Oh boy…_

I try to calm myself by taking a controlled breath when I hear that growl. Now here's the interesting thing about Riddick. He has a variety of growls that mean different things. This particular one…let me put it this way. It'll either chill your blood, make you cum or drop a man dead in his tracks. Yea…that's the one. And if I didn't know any better I think he's done lathering me up.

Why do I say that? Because he just backed up, set down the soap somewhere and grabbed me by the waist. I'm not sure how he plans on gettin' it on in here, seeing as I'm about five foot six and he's about as big as a moose. Ok, he's really around six foot three…

_This should be __**Very**__ entertaining…_

**-End Chapter Seven-**


	8. Chapter 8:: Unrestrained Instinct

**Onyx's Note:: **Just want to say thank you to those that are following along I'm hoping more readers will leave feedback, that way I know if they like what they're reading;) Oh and yes...this Riddick seems a little...different. There's a BIG reason for it. Remember, this is a Twisted story...and not everything is what it seems. Trust me, you want to follow along. Enjoy

**!!WARNING!!  
STRONG SEXUAL CONTENT**!  
Viewer Discretion is **_Strongly_** Advised.

**::Outside Perspective::**

Onyx let out a surprised squeak when she was whipped around and nearly slipped when his large hands kept her still. Feeling her heart beat fluttering like a trapped humming bird in a cage she looked up into his goggles…finding them completely fogged up. She didn't say a word as he pushed her gently toward the water and immersed them both in the blissful heat.

He was starving to just take her right then and there. But he had to refrain. At least until they were done in the shower. "Go ahead and finish up…and make it quick." Riddick snarled, not caring how he sounded as water trickled down his face.

The beast was beginning to rise to the surface, wanting some fun. And little did he know…he wasn't the only one with an animal wanting to play...

Onyx made very quick work of washing the rest of her body. She knew that tone, even if this was the first time she had ever heard it. She smirked when she handed him her soap. "It's all I've got." She admitted and held it out for him. He gave her a look and snatched it from her hand.

She bit her bottom lip, thinking about how lovely it would have been to torture him a little more. But made a point to not do so, seeing as Riddick was starting to show the animal he had been skillfully hiding. Reaching for the shampoo she lathered a good amount through her mane and held her eyes shut, avoiding any unneeded sting. "Hey um…help me out?" Onyx asked in a pleading tone, completely helpless.

Riddick eased her under the water and watched in a silent fascination as she rinsed her hair. Once done doing that she gave him a weird look. "You ready to get out?"

"No babe, I need the conditioner." She replied and watched his jaw twitch.

"Conditioner? For what?" Obviously he didn't understand the evil ritual of hair care.

Onyx gave a smile of understanding and pointed behind him. "I need to put that, into my hair and then rinse it out."

He canted his head to the side, becoming more annoyed as the seconds ticked by. "You just did that."

"No…" She was being very careful with her tone now. "I just washed it with shampoo, now I have to condition it."

Riddick growled, grabbed the bottle and handed it to her. "Hurry up."

She suddenly felt angry. He was being a little to pushy for her taste. Which was odd seeing as she was usually one to stay quiet. But just as Riddick, she too had a beast inside. And it wasn't enjoying the display of dominance. It found Riddick's sudden change in attitude…a _challenge_.

Onyx put the conditioner in her hair, saturating every long strand and quickly rinsed it out. And right as she finished the water was gone. Riddick had bent done and somehow shut everything off in a matter of seconds.

He was moving at a speed that seemed inhuman. He had a towel wrapped around his waist and seconds later, wrapped one around her, picked her up and got out of the shower. Onyx held on for dear life as he opened the bathroom door, trekked the short distance to her room, kicked open the bedroom door and then dropped onto the bed. She gasped softly as he ripped the towels away and somehow placed them beneath their bodies.

"Riddick…please slow down." She pleaded softly and watched him get up, stark naked and looked around the room. She figured it out what he was looking for. "I've got two black blankets in the closet that will cover the blinds." She went to sit up when he motioned to her with his hand to stay still.

"Where in the closet?" He asked as he got to the closet, slid open the door and peered inside.

"Top shelf, to the right." Onyx pointed out and watched him grab the blankets, and began to cover both windows.

Once the room was nearly as dark as night he closed the door to her bedroom and ripped his goggles from his face. A sigh of relief flowed from his lips as he rubbed his eyes, thankful to feel the cool air against his flesh. "Now…" He growled low and dark, revealing a darker side to his personality as he let his gaze trap her in his vision. "Where were we?"

She felt a chill run the length of her spine warning her to back up. Onyx didn't hesitate and moved very quickly until her back was pinned against the wall. Her instincts telling her that what she was witnessing was not in her best interests. "Riddick…" Her voice trailed off into the silence as he became a menacing presence before her very eyes. It looked as though his mind was elsewhere. His face a portrayal of little emotion as darkness danced within his intense features. It was suddenly very apparent…that he was stalking her…like a predator about to devour its prey.

Riddick loomed toward her, making her feel very small. He wasn't in full control anymore. It was the primitive side…**_the animal side_**…that decided it wanted to have some fun for once.

But to his dismay…he was about to get one hell of a rude awakening.

A growl emerged from snarling lips as he met eyes with a very pissed off wildcat. He was nearly shocked back to the present when her head lowered, revealing two shimmering pools of crimson… _Wait, her eyes are glowing?_ Riddick snapped himself out of his primal mindset just enough to regain some sort of sanity and was met by just what he thought he saw. Her eyes were shimmering like boiling blood.

"Onyx wait… I'm…" He was trying to explain what had just happened when she cut him off with a hiss.

"Shut up." Her teeth were bared as the urge to tear his throat out weaved through her veins. "You stay the hell away from me." She was full of a protective rage. Where this came from, she didn't think about it. She couldn't. She was all instinct and the only thing she was focused on was him. Keeping him at a distance.

Riddick knew what he had to do. It was a decision he was certain would have her pissed at him. But there was nothing else he could do. He had to restrain her.

Walking with careful steps, each move of his muscular body calculated and precise, he started toward her. He heard her give a growl in warning and made his move. Within a flash he was on top of her, pinning her smaller body hard against the soft mattress. "I need you to listen to me." He barked in a booming voice and watched her glare at him. Rage evident in her sparkling gaze. "Onyx…calm down."

Onyx blinked a few times and felt the anger become pure unbridled lust. Without a word she brought her face up and kissed him hard, biting down on his bottom lip causing his entire body to tense up at the suddenness of it.

Growling, his beast remerged and slammed the entire length of his thick cock into her pulsing cunt in one hard thrust. He was filled with a ravenous need to pound into her until she screamed for him to stop. Snarling and growling he began slamming himself into her white hot core as she tore her arms away from his hands and dug her nails into the flesh of his back. This only caused the fires within to become raging infernos. The feeling of her tight pussy stretching and convulsing around his rock hard dick made his blood become filled with the overwhelming need to break her.

Moans flowed from her lips as she sank her teeth into the soft flesh of his shoulder and started to growl as the taste of his blood, hot and salty, danced along her tongue and dripped down her chin in angry red streams. Before she could react he pulled out, grabbed her by the waist, flipped her around and placed her down on her hands and knees. A scream of enraged pleasure bellowed from her lungs as he took her hard from behind, pounding every inch of himself so deep within her core she felt as though he was going to tear her in half. Clenching the sheets, she tried to stay upright but he was too strong, every thrust knocking her upper body down until she finally collapsed and relinquished to his rage fueled desire.

"Fuck you're so tight." He hissed between his teeth as sweat began to bead all over his body, making his skin slick with sweat. He was completely taken over by the beast. Driven by one need. To fill her body full of searing hot cum.

He kept slamming into her, the sounds of her whimpered moans as well as the sound of his balls slapping hard against her ass made it damn near unbearable. But he had to hear it. The beast needed to hear her say the words before he exploded inside of her. "**_Say it_**…" He growled, took a handful of her wet mane and pulled her head up with a harsh tug. "**_Say my name as I fuck you_**."

His pounding continued as she tried to find her voice. "Riddick…"

This wasn't enough. "**I want you to _scream_ it**." He snarled and was bent over her, pulling her head back in a painful angle and bit down into the soft flesh of her neck. His cock still slamming into her shivering body.

"**RIDDICK**!" She screamed as his teeth broke her skin, sending waves of pleasure and pain to rip through her system when... It happened.

He came… Hard and fast and didn't stop pumping his pulsing cock into her body until he felt every last drop squeeze out of him.

Breath heavy, legs shaking they both collapsed, still connected.

She felt bruised in every possible way and lost all of her ability to move. Eyes clenched shut she tried to ease her heart as it thundered wildly in her chest. A wave of emotions swam through her mind as she tried to understand what had just happened. When his voice broke her train of thought.

"Jesus…what the hell just happened?" Riddick chuckled in a hoarse voice and gently pulled her close, his arms wrapped around her waist.

She swallowed and managed to find what was left of her voice. "I think we just had mind blowing sex…"

"Oh…good to know." He replied and kissed her softly on the neck. "I didn't hurt you…did I?"

A weak smile danced across her lips as her body completely relaxed in his arms. "No baby…" Her voice trailed off…

"Onyx?" Riddick rose just a little and smiled at the sight of her completely passed out. "God I Love You." Took a deep breath, pulled her closer and slipped into a deep sleep.

**_Locked in a lovers embrace._**

**-End Chapter Eight-**


	9. Chapter 9:: Speak of The Blue Eyed Devil

**Onyx's Note::** I hope everyone is enjoying this...and please, leave feedback. You know how I'm infamous for sudden twists and turns? Brace yourselves...this story has taken on a Complete life of its own!

**::Outside Perspective::**

He watched her as she slept. Her body shifted and curled into a protective fetal position as he got up from the bed. Onyx seemed so peaceful, so…innocent. She was beauty beyond words…and she was **His**. Riddick felt an ache catch his breath. An old emotion he never thought he'd feel again… _She's Mine. All Mine._ He thought and found himself swallowing hard as small waves of electricity began to swell in his chest. Tears, something unknown to him, began to sting his sensitive gaze. The emotion was so strong it caused his chest to tighten with confused uncertainty. What would happen to her when he had to go back? Something he forgot to mention… Something he was so bent on telling her from the very beginning. How could he forget something so fucking important? Riddick let out a rough sigh and ran his palm over the newly grown stubble of his usually clean shaven scalp.

He needed some coffee.

Walking on silent feet he made his way into the kitchen and started a **VERY** strong pot of coffee. God, or Gods, whoever the hell they are, only knew how much he needed it. He had some planning, some calculating to do. And a way to figure out how he was going to explain to Onyx…**His Onyx**… That he had to leave. Soon. Could he take her with him? Would she leave everything she's ever known just to be with him? No…she had family. She had people who loved her. What did he have? Not a fuckin' thing, well that wasn't already dead and buried. Except for her…his Onyx. She was all he had and he was going to leave her behind. Was this going to rule his life? Leaving? But he wasn't running from her. He was on a timeline…and that time was about to run out.

"If I didn't know any better…" The voice ripped through his soul and caused him to jump up on his feet, ready for a fight. "I'd say Mr. Billy Bad Ass himself is close to cryin'."

That voice…sent chills of pure hatred through his veins when the last person he'd ever thought he'd see stood on the back porch, behind the screen of the open window. "Johns…"

"In the flesh sweet cheeks." He retorted in that do right voice, that boyish smile creeping over his lips as he fiddled with the lock on the back door, opened it and stepped inside, closing it behind him. "You caused one of those…what the hell they call'em? Oh yea, rifts when you ripped a whole in our universe just to get some pussy. I don't blame you, I always liked the broken ones m'self."

Riddick was in his face with a shiv at his throat. It happened in the matter of seconds. Tensed, and ready to slit his throat from ear to ear he let out a dangerous growl that in itself, was a sound of death. "Don't think I won't."

His eyes were wide but a smile crept over his face again. "You kill me Riddick and she'll have a dead body on her hands. What would her neighbors think? Oh, you didn't think about that did you? Whatever you do in this universe will have major consequences on her."

"Listen **Merc**." Riddick growled and watched his mouth tighten. "You're dancing on razorblades…what makes you think I won't hesitate to ghost your wannabe ass?"

Johns smirked and pushed his face forward. "Because you don't want anything to happen to your precious Onyx."

Riddick knew there was a hidden meaning there and felt his blood boil. "What you gettin' at Johns?"

"Let up and I'll tell you." He explained and felt Riddick twitch. "You want her to wake up and find us like this?"

Riddick growled in his chest and let go, the shiv in his hand clenched in a tight fist. "Talk."

Johns righted himself and fixed the collar of his shirt. "The company sent a team out lookin' for you. Decided to write me off as a costly expense. Didn't need me having another incident."

"Get to the fuckin' point Merc."

"Why don't shut your fuckin' mouth and let me tell the story." Johns barked back and watched Riddick's eyes shimmer with an essence of death. If he didn't keep his cool Riddick would have no problem ghostin' him. And that was not on his to do list. "You want me to keep this short then do us both a favor and wait until I'm finished." He said and waited for a reaction. When everything seemed cool, he continued. "Thing is Riddick, the company found the rip you created. And in about three days they're going to enter this world's orbit and track you and your pet down. Now before you start talkin', you should probably know that this ain't gonna sit too well the people that live here. They don't have the technology we have. Hell they don't know their shit from a whole in the ground when it comes to space travel. You see my point?"

Riddick let the words sink in and knew there was something Johns wasn't gettin' at. "Never known you to be the type to aid a wanted killer with a bounty on his head." He stalked toward him slowly, backing Johns into the door. "Why do I have the sneaking suspicion that you just ain't here to help me out. That there's something in it for you."

"You want the truth you psycho fuck? I'm here to make sure those corporate fucks don't get what's rightly mine. And if I can't cash in on you, then no one will. Get me?"

"You think I'm buyin' that?" Riddick snarled and loomed toward Johns who was about to shit himself.

"If you don't hit orbit by daylight with your woman then you've just fucked her over. They Will be here."

"So you sayin', if they think I jumped planet they won't come here." Riddick let out a deep laugh that held no joy in it. "That makes about as much sense as you tryin' to help me out."

"Yes you thick headed bastard. If you leave, with her, back through that rip you came through, they won't come here." Johns explained for the second time and knew Riddick was just itchin' to slice his throat. "Their tracking devices only reach into This solar system while you're here. If you go back with her, the transmission will follow you."

Before Riddick could add his commentary Johns pulled out a small device from his pocket. "You see this? This baby is a prototype universal tracker. Look familiar?" He handed the small device to Riddick and saw the recognition dance across his intense features. "That's the same one that was planted on your ship before you jumped that wormhole. The same one that's giving off your location this very moment. Oh…and it has this added bonus. Anyone you come into contact with…say Onyx for instance? It will have her entire genetic profile on file. If it thinks she's here, even if you're not, they'll make a point to come and collect her."

"Explain to me how that works, exactly."

"Simple really. Your DNA. Nifty little device really, wish they made these back when I tracked your sorry ass… Anyway, you had to breathe on the ship right? It has this internal wiring that can actually find faint molecules in the air and deciphers them. Once this is established it releases a microscopic computer that attaches to its host the instant they come into three hundred clicks of it. And while you've been playin' Suzy homemaker that microscopic computer has been gathering data and transmitting it back to the device, which is sending it's data to the people tracking you. Makes a quick snatch and grab look like child's play."

Riddick had seen this device in his ship. It didn't look like anything out of the norm. He was so caught up on finding his way to Onyx he didn't stop to think of the possible repercussions of his actions. Looking toward Johns, he grinned that evil grin. "We leave before dawn, and you're comin' with us."

"That was the plan." Johns retorted in a catty smile, trying to hide the obvious fact that he just signed his death certificate. But he had a plan…he always had a plan…and by letting Riddick have his way, he would get exactly what he needed. Of course this wouldn't happen until they were back in their universe…and when that happened, he'd execute his plan.

"Where's your ship?" Riddick asked, the wheels in his brain turning at a high speed.

"I came in on an escape pod off shore. Made it look like an odd meteor crash. They won't find it. It's somewhere in the trenches by now."

He gave him a glare and new Johns wasn't lying. "So we've only got my ship?"

Johns gave Riddick a nod. "Yup, my ass is stranded here."

While they were conversing in the small kitchen…Onyx had long since woken up. As soon as the scent of coffee hit her nose she was up. And the last thing she expected to hear was Johns, a Merc, in her apartment explaining to Riddick that if they didn't leave by morning… She would end up another statistic. She waited until things had became close to normal and made herself known.

Wearing another pair of pajamas, hair pulled back in a loose bun on the back of her head, she casually walked passed them into the kitchen. She could feel their eyes burning holes into her back as she very calmly poured herself a cup of coffee. "So we leave by morning?" She asked in a calm tone, turned and leaned her back against the counter. Giving both men a quick glance she brought the cup to her lips, took a long drink and added. "That leaves us about… Seven hours to get my shit, get to where-ever you parked your ship and get out of here."

Both men held an expression of shock, and a hint of amazement at how cool and collected she seemed. She took a deep breath and let out a sad chuckle. "You gonna stand there and stare at me? Or are you going to get a cup of coffee? Because this may be the last time we have any…" She said and drank down the rest of her coffee and poured another cup.

This was some **Strong Coffee**. And damn did she need it.

**-End Chapter Nine-**


	10. Chapter 10:: Breaking The Mold

**::Her Perspective::**

Words, seemingly endless break free of their chains and tangle through my mind. I'm being suffocated by this onslaught of emotion and…**fear**…of the unknown. Fearing that I may never see my world again. A place I've called my sanctuary. The oceans of my home will never be seen through these tired eyes. Not now anyway. Why did this have to happen? I was lonely yes, but I was content in my everyday mundane life. Now that's all been taken from me. Just for the sake of **_Love_**. Love…a word I'm beginning to _despise_.

I think I'm starting to become bitter. It's a weird feeling, and yet very familiar. Almost…dare I say it…_comforting_. I've had my share of the dark side. I know how dangerous my mind can get if I sink too far into the depths of my internal darkness. I've been like Riddick, oh man…I've been there. I've had that placid, unemotional expression on my face. It was my power, my mask of secrets. People, the ones I loved and called **friend**, started to become afraid of that mask. Because when they'd look at me, the face a stone cold reminder of the pain I had been through, they'd see something dancing behind my hardened gaze. There was a veil of chaos just behind the shimmering surface of my eyes.

If it wasn't for my friends…I would have ended up like Riddick… Or possibly worse.

But now I don't have them to fall back on. I no longer have my pack to bring me back from this madness my soul is becoming consumed by. It's a natural defense I picked up after years of countless bad relationships. People I thought I could trust, those same people that I would have given my life for… Abandoned, broken, and left me with nothing but a shadow of who I once was. Being so vulnerable…something decided to fill the void to save what was left of my shattered sanity.

It grew with each fading tear, strengthened with every pulse of resentment that streamed through my veins. I gave it purpose. When the last tear fell, anger and rage now the replacement for my broken innocence… It began breathing. It began thinking. In my broken state…I had brought life to the darkness inside of me. And it was hungry.

Overtime I learned how to control this newfound creature. Learned how to cage it…but was never able to tame its dangerous nature. It must have been a sleeping guardian, that had awakened at my most desperate hour. It's been quiet for some time… But I've felt the stirring, the slight movement somewhere deep within. I think…no, I'm pretty fuckin' positive it's woken up. And I have a strong feeling… **She's Pissed**.

**::His Perspective::**

Onyx is staring out the window, one of many in the main hull of my ship. She's been quiet for almost an hour since we broke orbit. For someone who's never been in a ship, let alone away from her home planet, she's shown an amazing resilience to the G's. Her body has never been through this before, or even close, and she's completely fine. She's showing signs of someone who's done this a thousand times over.

Johns has been shown to his quarters. I made a point to show him the same hospitality he's shown me time and time again. I wonder how he's holding up in his new cage? Heh…fuckin' pussy of a Merc has probably shit himself by now. I hope not, I don't want to have that smell lingering around for the rest of the trip home. I hate the fucker, and I intend to keep him locked up until I know what exactly those corporate bastards are up to. For all I know, he's just the bait. Well if that's true, which I'm guessing it is, they're about to find out why no one fucks with Richard B Riddick.

**_No One._**

"Is it always this beautiful?" Her voice, so soft, so beautifully melodious in its reach my ears… I bet she can sing too. Haven't heard a woman sing in a long time. Wonder if she'd do that for me?

Onyx is standing in front a small window, just big enough to place both of my arms at either side, my fingers touching the edges. Her back is pressed against my chest. I take in a slow breath, her scent reminds me of an exotic aroma, the one that hits every pore right after a heavy rain in a jungle. "Mmm Beautiful." I drawl out in a long winded growl and watch the very fine hairs on the back her neck sway and stand on end. I crack a small smile as her right hand reaches up and rubs the excited area.

"I hate it when my body reacts to you." She says with a soft chuckle as her hand then touches the bun on the back her head and disappears back down her body. "It feels like electricity."

"Does it?" I purr, low and deep. My mouth inches away from her left ear. "Describe it to me…"

Leaning her head back on my chest she closes her eyes and begins speaking in the most sensual of voices. "Your presence reminds me of hot rain trickling all over my body. I can feel it reach places I never new I had nerve endings. It's warm and inviting. It tingles against my flesh and somehow burns just beneath my skin. I feel like there is a small current of energy in every drop, every small trickle dancing down my body. Filling me with warmth. Filling me with a sense of peace. A sense of being loved by the rain. Loved by you." She pauses and opens her eyes, looking up at my face. "Is that a good description?"

"Wow…" I'm amazed…That was so effortless… Damn if I didn't know any better I'd say she's a poet. "You put that beautifully. I've **_never_** been described like that before."

She turns her body so she can look up into my uncovered gaze. "You're serious?" I can only nod in reply as emotion begins to travel up my throat choking my words. "Jesus Riddick…" Her voice trails off as her small right hand touches my cheek. "Come here."

She gently coaxes my face down, both hands on either side of my face and brings my forehead to her lips. Soft…so unimaginably soft. She kisses the furrow starting in the middle of my brow, pauses, then kisses the bridge of my nose. At this point my arms have become too heavy and are at my sides, my hands gripping her shoulders. Slowly, she kisses the tip of my nose and then leaves a tender kiss on my lips as that old sting hits my eyes. I clench them shut, trying to block it out, but I fail and feel a single tear escape down my face.

"I Love You." She says in a whisper and places her forehead against mine.

I wrap my arms completely around her smaller frame and choke back my broken breath. "I Love You too." I say in a shaky voice, my chest tightening, my world caving in. But she's with me, holding me…keeping me from falling. The only thing stable in my life…the beacon of pure light in my pitch black existence. Her light doesn't burn my eyes, it accepts me, showers me in forgiveness. She is the Angel that has come from beyond the stars, reached into the darkest reaches of hell…and has saved my soul.

**::Outside Perspective::**

Riddick, with his massive arms wrapped possessively around her much smaller form, starts to tremble. Onyx holds onto him as his shaking becomes stronger until the choked sound of his silent tears overwhelm him. His knees buckle as his body collapses to the ground. His face is buried in her stomach as his arms clutch her waist. She bends over, and lays her head on his, her arms wrapped around his powerful shoulders. She can feel his silent sobbing, a release of years of pain…and finds herself sharing those tears.

Two broken souls…share a moment of understanding. Knowing that finally…they're no longer alone.

**-End Chapter Ten-**


	11. Chapter 11:: Testing the Fates

**::Her Perspective::**

It's been five hours…and we're already passing Jupiter. My god…I never thought anything could be so beautiful. And to think…no one will ever be able to witness this. I'll never be able to tell the people of my world what this is like. How they haven't come anywhere close to this. To see this natural majesty with my own eyes, really gives me a sense of how truly small I am. And just looking out into space. Real true space…is nothing like in the movies. It's endless and silent. It's dark and terrible. _Beautiful…_

Riddick is in the back, he said something about checking on our guest before he takes a shower. That was thirty minutes ago. I should probably head back there and see if our so called "guest" is still breathing. Knowing Riddick, Johns may be breathing…very little. Heh…wouldn't surprise me.

My footsteps careful, I make my way through a door and into a long passageway. Interesting how such a large ship went completely undetected back on earth…

I turn to my right, find myself thinking about Firefly… That awesome Sc-Fi show. The ship reminds me of Serenity (That's what they called the ship), just…bigger. I go down the passageway and head toward the cargo area. Slowly, I edge my way passed a few tightly packed crates and find our "Guest" strapped into his restraints. I can't help the odd smile on my face as he brings those two blue eyes toward me. Riddick was right, he does look like a devil.

"Like what you see princess?" He drawls out in that same voice that makes me want to slap him. There really is something about him that makes me want to cut his tongue out. Talk about first impressions.

"I don't do parasites. I tend to lean toward the human variety, thanks." I counter, my arms crossing my chest as the black material of my shirt seems to mold softly to my skin. Damn… Riddick really knows what I like.

"Heh." Johns smirks and tries to crack his neck in a failed attempt to seem masculine. He just looks like an idiot in shackles. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"You do that…" I start to feel that familiar movement just beneath the surface…aw what the hell? Why not have a little fun? "So Johns, tell me… What is it that you find so interesting about My Riddick? Is it really the bounty? Or do you just want to have a little one on one time with him?" My voice is suddenly wicked, the grin on my face just exudes my point as his eyes narrow at me.

"Your Riddick? I thought it was the other way around?" He spits out between a slow and malicious grin. "Yea…I bet it is. I bet you love the fact that you're his pet. His Bitch."

I roll my eyes and find my face contorting into a solemn expression. Hard, unreadable, and cold. "You'd like to think that wouldn't you?" I purr in a low controlled voice, damn close to Riddick's tone. That tone he uses right before he breaks someone's neck. I watch a small sparkle behind his eyes and sense something change about him. He's afraid…and I can smell it. "From where I'm standing, you're the Bitch."

Johns suddenly speaks in a higher tone as though he's warning me. "He ain't the man you think he is. He's just going to get what he wants from you, torture you and then kill you."

"You act like I'm actually listening." I retort and feel that pull at the corners of my lips and give him a sadistic smile. This is just too much fun. I wanna see how far I can push him before he…breaks. I let out a dark chuckle and close the distance between us. I look him up and down as though he's a piece of meat and crouch down to the deck, my eyes staring right into his. "You think Riddick's a psycho fuck killer? You think he's the Billy Bad Ass?" My voice isn't my own as it passes my twisted grinning mouth and flows into his ears. His eyes reveal a show of courage but the beads of sweat starting above his lip and forehead tell me otherwise. I inch closer, he backs his head back, perhaps afraid I'll tear his eyes out.

In a deep, growl of a voice, one that's just a few octaves shy of my favorite silver eyed beast, I announce. "I know the game you're playin'. I know you think you're going to sell us out to try and gain back your job. I know that you were X'd out of the company because of your unethical antics…" I trail off and watch his widened gaze give me a look of pure astonishment. "And I'm going to make sure it takes them years before they find every piece of your shredded corpse."

I stand up, smile down at him, turn on the heel of my foot and saunter my way back to the passage way. But before I hit the crates, I hear him say. "Fucking psycho bitch."

Before I can stop myself I take hold of the nearest crate, lift it over my head and toss it across the room like a dead body. It makes a booming crash as it hits the wall about three feet from his head. He looks over at the shards of glass, wood and metal scattered on the deck and then to me. I grin. "That was a warning. Next time, well…let's just say you'll be dead." And walk off, not caring if he replies or not.

_Asshole._

"Havin' fun?" I hear his voice and turn to my right, his huge frame filling the doorway. I let my eyes travel the length of his body, drinking up the sight of him. He's standing there with a towel tucked around his toned waist. Small droplets cascading down his beautifully bronzed skin. Now that's what I call a man.

"Just finished checking on the cargo." I reply with a devious smile dancing on my lips.

Riddick cants his head to the side, those large well crafted arms crossing his chest as he gives me a curious look. "What was that crash?" He asks simply and watches my eyes. As though he's reading me.

I give him a shrug. "I threw a crate at him. Don't worry, I made a point to miss…this time."

His brow rises and gives me an odd look. "What crate exactly?"

"The rusty colored one that's as wide as my hips…it was on top of the other crates." I admit casually and watch that odd expression seem to light up with astonishment. "What? You look like I just ate a bug or something."

"Give me a second to put my pants on and then I want you to show me." He replies with a slight smile eating at the corners of his mouth.

"Ok baby." I smile warmly, walk up to him and get on my tiptoes to leave a sweet kiss on his mouth.

Riddick growls somewhere deep in his chest and fades back into the bedroom. I lean against the doorframe and about two minutes later, he emerges. "Lead the way gorgeous."

"You just want to stare at my ass." I retort in a playful voice and start walking.

"Do I need an excuse?" He says with a laugh and follows me back into the cargo area. I step back and let Riddick review the scene and watch for his reaction. It's not that big of a deal, it was just a crate. I don't know why he's so curious about it. I know it didn't hold anything important. I'm not stupid.

In his silence I just stand back and watch as he looks everything over, including Johns and makes that growling sound. The sound that he's made a conclusion about something. I stay quiet and go back into the passage, waiting for him. A few minutes later he reappears and motions with his hand to follow him into the bedroom. Sighing, I do so and as soon as I get passed the doorframe, I hear the click as the door slides closed behind me.

"Did I do something wrong?" I ask and watch him walk calmly to the bed, sit on the edge, his hands on his thighs as he looks at me. He doesn't say anything…he's just looking at me. I can sense an air of thoughtful tension swirling in the air as his eyes shimmer with intelligence. It's almost unnerving…almost.

"How'd you do it?" He asks suddenly and I feel like I was just caught stealing a cookie from a cookie jar.

"Uh…I picked it up over my head and just tossed it… Why?"

"Come here for a second." His voice is calm and tender as he gives his knees a pat, summoning me over.

I walk over, carefully, not really sure what he's getting at and stand right in front of him. He gives me a smile and brings his hands up. I wait patiently as he starts sliding them down my shoulders and arms, examining me. That crease forms in the middle of his brow as he gently turns me around and does the same physical examine on my shoulder blades, spine and lower back. Once he's finished he turns me around and looks into my eyes. "You're built for heavy lifting, you've got the frame for it." As he says this his hands emphasize by sliding over the areas. "Strong shoulders, large ribcage, small waist and large hips. And as much as I love your ass, you've got a lot of power there too. Especially in those thick thighs and shapely calves. How much you weigh? What…about 160 maybe?"

"Try 190." I add and watch his eyes widen. "What? You're the one that won't stop talking about how much you like my curves…"

He cuts me off with a warm chuckle. "You know I love your body. I like a woman with curves in all the right places. Soft with curves for days."

"Even if I don't have that perfect thin body?" I say softly…a hint of being self conscious in my voice.

"Onyx…you talkin' about those so called models in your world? Those chicks in the adds I saw everywhere?"

I nod and worry my bottom lip in between my teeth. He shakes his head and takes my hands in his. "Baby… I don't know what those women are eating, but I know that's not how a woman looks. A Real woman is supposed to have curves. Do you really want to look like a ten year old boy?" I shake my head no and try to fight the slight smile on my lips.

"Let me tell you something… If a satellite were to take pictures from space, it would know you were a female in a crowd. You are Beautiful. You understand what I'm getting at? You should never doubt yourself just because you don't look the way they say you should. This is your body, and from where I'm sitting… I wouldn't change a single thing."

I narrow my eyes at him, wondering if he's just talking to make me feel better. "You're not just…"

He cuts me off by pulling me down onto the bed, flat on my back with him looming over me. "I know I'm a man of few words…but when I speak, it's the truth. Whether you want it or not. And all that matters is that I love you for who you are. And I would never want you any other way."

My chest tightens at his brutal honesty as a few trickles dance away from the corners of my eyes. "Ok…" I murmur, close my eyes and feel his lips kiss the tears away.

"Want to know something really interesting?" He growls gently into my ear and I open my eyes, met by his amazing liquid silver gaze.

"Hmm?"

"That crate you threw…" He trails off, leans down and nibbles my earlobe before adding. "Weighs twice as much as you do."

I feel my heart stop. Did he just say I threw a Three Hundred and Eighty pound crate?

_Holy Shit…_

**-End Chapter Eleven-**


	12. Chapter 12:: Learning How To Breathe

**!!WARNING!!  
Strong Erotic Content. Viewer Discretion has been advised.**

**::His Perspective::**

Kissing the soft, silky surface of her neck, her skin reacting to my caress, Goosebumps appearing along her flesh. I listen to her breathing, fast and shallow. God I love how her body responds to me. As though she's fighting herself, always battling her primal urges whenever I'm close to her. I hate to say it, but I can sense a darkness in her akin to my own. It feels safe, welcoming and familiar. An attraction that needs no words. I can feel it urging me closer, calling to me, beckoning me into its deadly embrace. A sensation of being connected on an instinctive level, a realm of understanding that calls to the beast within. But how far it stretches within her… I don't know…well, not yet anyway. It wants a taste, it wants to play… _Is it safe?_ I can feel it pulling at her soul, just behind her eyes. It plagues her with whispers, with claws tearing at its eternal tomb of flesh and bone. A part of me wants to reach deep inside, deeper then I've ever gone and breaks its binds. Would that be wise…to unleash the beast?

She's up on her elbows and is flashing me a look of concern. Apparently her body is good at ignoring her brain, because she doesn't seem to be thinking about playing. "We need to talk about the crate."

I give a raised brow and sigh. "Can't we discuss it later?" I understand she's baffled, hell I'm a little surprised myself. But let's face it. I've got a one track mind and right now… I just want to feel that wet heat tightening all around me.

Onyx grumbles and narrows her eyes making that face. Fuckin' adorable. "You really are an erection with ears."

"Damn I love it when you talk dirty." I say with a dark chuckle when a husky tone laced with seduction travels passed my lips. "I know you want it baby…" I purr in my lull of a voice and start kissing her neck again, sensing her temperature rise just a few degrees. "I can feel your heat…I can smell your sweetness…"

She lets out a soft gasp as I sink my teeth into the soft flesh, right on the nape of her neck. "Riddick…please don't…" Her voice is lost in the sexually charged around us, suffocating the words away from those beautifully full lips.

"Don't what?" I feel myself rumble and slowly, press myself against her. Her legs spread wide as my pants magically begin to loosen and inch down my waist. Good thing I remembered to not buckle my belt…

**::Her Perspective::**

He's an animal. Dominant, lustful, and wild. I can't escape this passion filled madness. His words an echo in my mind, causing every fiber of my being to respond with a need to receive his forbidden caress. To let him worship this body in ways I've never known. I want to feel him all around me, deep inside me. Thick, hot, pulsing as it fills my emptiness. God I want that fulfillment again. I want to feel his strength, his power, molding into the essence of my core.

I give an agonizing moan of anticipation. I can't win… I want him now. I'm starving, I need my fill. I want it now. I want him to fill the void with his delicious length until I don't know who or what I am anymore. "Damn it." I growl and take hold of his face, pull him down in a rush of strength and devour his mouth in a brutal kiss of untamed hunger.

Oh god his mouth. Lips pressed hard, tongues lashing out, sliding hot and wet against the other. Tasting each other, breathing hard, panting. I feel hands, such powerfully large hands, tear away my clothes. I don't care. I want his flesh on my flesh, his heat with mine. To feel his rippling mounds of muscle pushing down on my smaller form, feel his skin unrestrained. I want to feel the contact, that primal drive, his naked flesh so close, so deliciously close…

I'm naked in a matter of seconds, his pants somewhere on the floor as he pulls me closer, my legs wrapped around his narrow waist, feeling his warmth, feeling safe. He's hard again, pressed at the velvet folds of my innocence, waiting, teasing, pulsing as liquid heat trickles away from the clenching void. He's tense, controlled, waiting for me to speak, looking down into my eyes with such beautiful luminescent orbs of metallic blue fire. He's asking, wanting my permission. Riddick needs to hear the words as badly as I want to say them.

Soft spilling words echo on a breath of tenderness as I whisper, "make love to me."

I can see the sting in his eyes, pooling with an essence of joy as he brings his mouth to mine. He's so gentle, so incredibly graceful. I'm immersed in the scent of him, musky, rich and exotic. I want his scent to devour me, suffocate me in waves of territorial passion. I want to have the smell of him drenched on my skin until it seeps into my pores and drips into my soul. I never want that beautiful aroma to escape my breath.

"Lay back baby." It's low, deep and animalistic. I can almost taste the loving rage in his words as he places his thickness at the moist entrance of my being. He's careful and calculated, his hips dipping so very slowly, pressing an inch, diving a little at a time. I can't breathe, my soul is screaming, my body aching. My hips writhe and buck in small attempts to push him deeper, fill the darkness.

But he's controlled, going slowly, filling me until I don't know where I end or he begins. I hear the struggled growl, his muscles tensing and moving, I see the look in his eyes, so wild with desire, heavy with lust. His lips are on mine as he remains still, pulsing and throbbing against my tight walls, igniting a fire in my womb. The silky surface of his rose petal kiss seduces me as he teases my lips in slow, nibbling half kisses. I close my eyes and let the feeling of pure love envelope me. He's the essence to my being, taking me in devastatingly slow waves, filling my depths with his life giving vessel.

My nerve endings charge with a strange energy, tingling, shocking me in places I've never dreamed. He whispers softly, quietly, "let me fill you… Let me be the only thing you feel."

I can't breathe, tears form and spill from the corners of my eyes as he continues the gentle swaying of his hips, his girth penetrating, stretching me. Invading the emptiness with a promise of life. I move with him, connecting our bodies, becoming one. A single energy, a dancing flame hidden beneath a veil of stars. I feel the waves breaking steadily with every stroke of his massive form, they become stronger, more dangerous as electricity ignites the flames between my legs. Pressing beautifully against my desire, giving it life, causing it to become swollen, charged with lust and heat. I gasp at a sudden wave of ecstasy, it's small, a warning that soon the ball of feeling so deep inside is very close to an eruption of pure emotion.

Hands on his back, pulling him closer, my hips grinding harder against him, wanting him, needing him as though he is the air I breathe. "Almost there baby?" It's a sound so far away, but I can feel it rumble through me. Reminding me I'm not alone in this moment of sensation.

"Almost." My voice is broken, as whimpered moans continue to flee from my open mouth. But are devoured by his lips, breathing me in, tasting my spirit with his tongue.

His hips, moving, diving, pressing against and within. Sliding deeper, filling me, so close to me. Then a surge, white hot and blinding rips through me and an explosion of searing heat. My back arches, my breathing stops, his body keeps moving, making love to me as the waves of my climax crash wildly against my shore. I'm gasping, writhing, and he never stops. Like a ship defying an earth altering storm amidst an angry sea, he remains steadfast. Thought nor logic stays within my mind. Just the soul wrenching pleasure dowsing me in its loving rain of ecstasy.

I feel it, pulsing, being squeezed within the folds. He's growling, panting, pressing harder. I feel him getting close, I can feel it ripping through me, calling out to me, wanting me to take it all in. I move with him, harder, faster. I need to feel it as he begins his sensual pounding, growling and grunting in my ears, biting my flesh and stretching my walls. I feel the shiver in my womb, telling me he's so very close…

"Fill me…" I groan against the moment, let him hear my words, hear my plea. "I want to feel you cum inside of me."

His body trembles as he lets out a deafening roar of defeat. His voice, the triumphant sound of an animal. He grips me hard and slams into me, filling me with an explosion of liquid heat. I moan wildly as he pounds again…and again…and again with such a force I slammed against the bed. I can't think, I can't breathe. I gasp for air as he growls in exhaustion and falls against me, shivering, trembling my arms.

I hold him close, his heartbeat thundering deep within his chest, echoing into my soul. Flesh slick with sweat, vision blurred with passionate release, I kiss his shoulder and let myself breathe… Connected, a spirit of one. I never want this feeling to go away…locked with Riddick, fused together. I've found my home. Home in the arms of the beast.

**-End Chapter Twelve-**


	13. Chapter 13:: Bad Dreams

**::Onyx's Note::** Just want to say thank you to everyone who's been reading and leaving feedback, and even to those out there who are merely reading and enjoying _Smiles_ These next few chapters are going to really dive into the twisted abyss of my mind...but you'll see that it's very worth the read. Again, thank you!! For reading my work, thank you...because it means a lot to me _Hugs and runs off_ Enjoy!

**::Warning::  
****Strong Language and Violence. Viewer Discretion is Advised.**

**::Dreamscape::**

Billowing mists, swelling, rolling in and out of themselves as though they had a life of their own, lined the empty streets as far as the human eye could see. Natural ambient noise, the kind that wind would make as it trickled through swaying treetops, or the way boots slapped and hit against wet pavement…was nonexistent. The only sounds that lifted into the stale air was a soft thundering. A heartbeat, pounding steadily in the ears of a young woman who walked along a road of broken dreams. She was silent, watchful. Almost in a trance like state as she was being pulled toward a place she had never known, being summoned by a thing she had never seen. Under the thrall of a creature that resembled chaos incarnate.

Unable to create a structured thought, she moved on weightless footsteps further into the consuming fog. One that seemed to swell wildly as she approached. As if in anticipation of the events that would follow.

Then a voice, as faint as the first breath of newborn babe, weaved into the air around her. Taunting her, teasing her sleeping senses. "Oh Onyx…" It purred in a sadistic melody of malicious intent as she found herself at a standstill, surrounded in a thick haze of living fog. "Here…_Kitty, Kitty_."

"Go away." A whisper, as soft as the sound of a hummingbird's wing, danced away from her lips and seemed to vanish into the pulsing mist. "Go away…" She pleaded once more and found herself becoming more alert. Her senses becoming aware…

"But why?" It snarled through its twisted teeth and continued to enjoy the slow awakening of Onyx's consciousness. "You summoned me, and I am here."

Anger, slow and gradual, began to fill the steady rhythm of her bloodstream, igniting a fire of rebellion. "I didn't summon anything. You go back to hell."

Suddenly the voice was behind her, but she couldn't move. She was paralyzed, held still by unseen hands. "My poor, pathetic Onyx. You just don't get it, do you?" The voice mocked and began to move closer. "You'll never get it. That's why I'm here. To stop all the…" The voice trailed off and seemed to vanish when it manifested at her left ear. A hot, humid breath hit the flesh of her earlobe causing her blood to run cold. "Pain. All the helplessness. You're so weak. So broken. You won't survive…without me. Of course, you already knew that didn't you princess?"

Onyx closed her eyes and bawled her hands into fists. "I am not broken. I don't fucking need you." She felt a whoosh of air dance across her face and opened her eyes…only to find herself, a much darker version, standing right in front of her… And she was grinning.

"Sorry to break to you Bitch, but you need me as badly as you need to breathe." The dark doppelganger sneered and canted her head to the side, eyes filling with a luminescent crimson color, the pupils glowing like shimmering rubies of insanity. "You're nothing without me."

Onyx tore her eyes away, not wanting to look at the monstrosity she had created. Until a familiar growl of a voice sliced into her thoughts, causing her eyes to whip forward.

"You honestly think I love you?" He smiled in such a way, Onyx felt as though he would devour her. "Do you really think I give two shits about some pathetic, fat, scared little girl?"

"No. You're not Riddick." She retorted through clenched teeth, trying to be brave, trying to withhold some kind of courage as the doppelganger used Riddick's form to screw with her. "You're fuckin' with me, and it's not working."

His brow raised as he edged closer, blocking any means of escape with his menacing presence. "Me? Fuckin' with you? Oh no babe, that ain't my style." He growled low with a grin that would drive a madman straight into the bowels of hell. "**Fucking you**…" The dark tone trailed off with an echo of malicious intent as he stood directly in front of her. "Now…that's really all this is about. That's the only reason I took you with me. What, surprised? Heh…" He leaned his face dangerously close to hers and let out a maniacal, emotionless tone that scent waves of terror through every fiber of her being. "The only thing you're good for is that sweet piece of ass you so willing gave up to me."

Onyx swallowed hard and turned her face away, trying to hold back the tears that wanted release from their cage of sorrow. "You're not real." She stated in whisper and felt the hard grip of his large hands bare down on her shoulders. Fingers, tightened their hold until she thought she would scream out from the agony they were inflicting. "Let go of me."

"If I'm not real, why does this hurt?" His dark chuckle vibrated through her soul, leaving an echo of horrid realization in its wake as the fingers suddenly grew talons. Long, curved, razor like talons that began imbedding themselves into her tender flesh. "Tell me something baby…" His voice had become a deep, animalistic growl, one she knew only belonged to the beast. "Does the pain turn you on? Does this make you hot and wet? If I fucked you, right here, right now… Made you bleed and begged me to stop… I bet you'd like it, wouldn't you?"

Tears invaded her vision as his mouth went to the flesh of her neck and sank dagger like teeth into her skin causing her to howl in pain. "**LET GO OF ME**!!"

With all the strength she could summon her hands flew forward and slammed with an immense force into a wall of muscle. The body of her shape shifting doppelganger flew backward and smacked hard into the ground with sickening crack. "Get up." She snarled with a rage so thick she could only see through a veil of liquid fire. "**GET UP**!" She roared with a booming voice, charged up to the lifeless body, grabbed the thing by the throat and lifted it high into the air as if it weighed no more then a wet paper bag.

Onyx watched through her blood red vision as the shape changed into herself, a surprised look entering its twisted face. "Didn't expect that…" It choked out, blood trickling down the corner of its mouth.

A growl, like that of a hellish beast emerging from the depths of an ancient tomb, poured passed her bared teeth. "You are **NOTHING**. If you **EVER** try to attack me again…" Onyx pulled the doppelgangers bleeding face close to hers and watched a look of terror fill its black eyes. "I will **_devour_** you."

She noticed her own reflection in the thing's gaze…and grinned wildly. Her eyes, were two pulsing orbs of deep crimson, her pupils a bright shimmering gold. "Looks like I don't need you anymore, **_bitch_**." She laughed in a threatening voice and opened her jaws wide.

The doppelganger tried to scream but was cut short as Onyx's face morphed into the features of a black Jaguar. Canines, long and deadly protruded from her gums until they seemed like ivory blades of judgment in the eyes of her victim. She could feel the raw power of her animal spirit filling every crevice of her being as slick black fur engulfed her skin. Muscles tore and regenerated, over and over until she could feel them tense under the sheer anticipation of the kill.

With a low, soul shattering growl she snapped her jaws around the doppelganger's throat and listened to the delicious sound of every bone shattering under the immense pressure of her bite. She shivered at the sound of muscles tearing, tendons ripping, and the final gurgled breath of her victim just fade away into the swirling mists.

The lifeless corpse became fragile and hollow, almost like an old porcelain doll. With a satisfied grin, she released the body with careless ease and watched as it shattered into a million pieces. Only to be swept away by the fog surrounding her…

Onyx had regained what she had lost so long ago…that piece of herself she never thought existed. She had reclaimed…the beast.

**::Outside Perspective::**

An earth shattering scream bounced off the inner walls of the ship, breaking the calm silence that surrounded them in the cold blackness of space. Riddick was on his feet and down the corridor when the sound pierced his keen ears. "Onyx??" He exclaimed in an excited breath when she shot up in bed and starting sobbing. Seeing this, he ran to her side and took her arms gently in his hands. "Onyx what happened? Are you ok?"

She shook her head and covered her face in her hands. Riddick took a deep breath and pulled her close to his body, holding her in a protective embrace. Unsure of why she had screamed the way she had, but thankful that it wasn't serious.

Until…she _started laughing._

**-End Chapter Thirteen-**


	14. Chapter 14:: Deliver Us from Evil

**::Onyx's Note::** Again, thank you for being so awesome and leaving feedback ::_smiles_:: It's going to keep twisting (In good ways) and you'll find that in the next few chapters...it's just going to keep getting interesting ::_Grins_:: Enjoy!

**::Outside Perspective::**

Riddick felt her trembling before he heard the giggles. Caught off guard he pulled away just in time to watch her burst into a fit of hysterical laughter. He gave a very curious look. "Onyx…?" His voice dropped to a level of uncertain calm. She was laughing so hard she was struggling to breathe. The last thing he wanted, was for her to go over the deep end…and it started to appear that she had finally snapped.

"Oh Riddick…" She giggled in between breaths and wiped her face with the palm of her hands. "Just the…funniest thing." Onyx trailed off and dropped her hands onto the bed, a strange look devouring her features. She felt…different. Not quite the same, not empty… "You'll never guess the kind of things I dreamt."

Riddick watched her closely, for any signs of hysteria. She seemed completely sane, probably had one hell of a nightmare to cause that kind of reaction. But the scary part about it, was the look in her eyes. She seemed different. That innocence he loved about her had suddenly taken on a more predatory essence. "I don't intend to. I'd rather hear it from that beautiful mouth of yours." He said softly, perhaps too softly as a way to mask the eerie feeling that was lingering in the back of his mind.

She smiled, a knowing, dark smile. It dripped with seduction. A smile she knew would have him aching in those dark places in no time. "You know baby…" Her tongue lashed out and drew a lazy line of desire across her lips as she began crawling her way onto his lap. Utterly enjoying the look of interest in his intense features. "We haven't really…played yet."

Both eyebrows shot up at once when she dipped her head down and gently nipped at his groin. It was just enough pressure to get his full and undivided attention. "You wanna play?" His voice dropped to a low husky tone that oozed with a fiery hunger. "I don't know baby… I play rough, and I don't want to hurt you."

"Hurt me?" She almost laughed, but kept that under control as a devious giggle danced away from her lips. "Riddick…my big dangerous bad boy." Her words, and the mere sound of her purring voice was beginning to light little fires in places he had long since forgotten. She was awakening every dark little need and want causing Riddick to find that his pants were suddenly a few sizes too small. "You know…after having a such horrible dream, I think I need to be comforted."

"Is that so? Hmm." He drawled out in a deep, thoughtful voice. Filled with a growing urge to taste her beautiful kiss, he looked deep into those feral eyes and saw her focused entirely on him… A little too focused. "Tell me somethin' gorgeous…"

Raising her chin a few degrees she smiled. There was an indication of defiance in her eyes, which she masked skillfully with her playful posture. "And what's that baby?" She let herself pronounce every word with a slow rhythm, letting the word 'baby' slide passed her tongue as she bit her bottom lip.

Riddick leaned down, placed both paw like hands on either side of her face and whispered. "Where's my Onyx?" His eyes flickered with concern, searching her gaze…searching for his Onyx.

A demonic grin devoured the softness of her mouth as a faint red hue began to pulse somewhere in the depths of her gaze. "I'm right here. Where I've always been."

"No." His voice sang a dark tune of distrust as it began its slow decent, finding an octave too low and gravely to be pleasant. "Where's Onyx?"

She narrowed her eyes and yanked away from his grasp. "You're no fun." She pouted in a mocking tone of innocence and slid off the bed…never taking her eyes off him. "Don't you know the rules of this game? You're supposed to guess."

He watched her with the intensity of a hawk circling its prey. His movements became calculated as he too slid from the bed and stood firmly on both feet. His hands clenched and released as his instincts began to whisper quiet warnings into the back of his mind. "What happened in the nightmare?" He made sure his voice was firm and cold, so that his point was perfectly clear.

"Well…it's interesting really." She purred in a sing song voice as she ran a lazy finger over the sheets at the edge of the bed, her eyes becoming hooded with a strange desire he'd never seen before. "I finally beat it…beat the fucker that kept me in chains…"

Riddick knew instantly who he was talking to. "What's your name?"

She brought the same hand up, with one finger and shook it back and forth slowly while clicking her tongue on the roof of her mouth in disapproval. "No no Mr. Naughty, it's my turn to ask a question." She watched the twitch in his jaw and that ever so lovely vein in his forehead pulse with irritation. This only made her grin widen. "What's your…favorite position? Do you like me on my back?" She dropped onto the mattress, her arms spread out on either side of her body, only to be brought up over her head. "Or would you like me pinned down? Where I can't fight back? Or…how about like this." She got up, turned and slowly bent over in front of him, her hands flat on the bed. "Taking me hard from behind…knowing that you're in full control?"

He made a sound close to growl and didn't move. She was doing something to him, baiting him with her voice, her body. The way her hips swung lazily back and forth like a cat in heat made the ache become more unbearable by the second. He was beginning to lose control of his body. Failing to win the battle between his rational mind and that dangerously inviting sexual hunger.

"Let me surprise you." Riddick finally managed to say between his clenched teeth and fought with every powerfully webbed muscle in his body to stay in one place. He wasn't going to fall victim to her little act…no matter how badly he wanted it. "Now it's my turn…"

"My name?" She purred in light tone of mischief and pushed herself up and off the bed. With the prowess of a deadly feline stalking its prey, she sauntered right up to him. She could smell his scent in a wild mixture of heat and musk. It stuck to the back of her throat causing her to let out soft panting noises. "You baby…" She placed her hands palm down onto his hard chest and batted her eye lashes suggestively. "can call me whatever you want."

In a moment of weakness he became lost in her eyes. His instinctive drive to breed overwhelmed him in all its primal glory…and took over. His arms were wrapped tightly around her smaller form before he could even think to stop himself. And even if he could have…it was too late. "You really wanna play Princess?" His voice rippled through her, dancing through every nerve until her body reacted in a wave of liquid heat. The scent hit his nose so hard he nearly had to gasp for air. She was hot and ready, her aroma inviting all of those dirty thoughts to manifest at once, consuming him with a terrible need to fill her with every inch of his starving need. He pressed his face into the nape of her neck, sucked in a long deep breath and growled, "think you can keep up?"

She closed her eyes and let the exotic wave of his voice wash over her being. Onyx bit hard into her bottom lip as his teeth grazed the sensitive flesh of her neck. Riddick knew just the right spot to get her blood pumping through her already heated veins. It felt like she was on fire. Engulfed in the wicked flames of passion.

"I don't know…" She whimpered softly as his mouth continued its wonderful assault on her neck, the tingles of pleasure streamed down her body in small waves of heat at the very caress of his lips. "Can you?" Her voice was firm suddenly, filled with a dark promise.

Riddick stopped and brought his gaze to hers…and witnessed her pupils ignite into pools of shimmering gold. A smirk etched his way across his lips as he continued to stare defiantly into her sight, almost provoking her. "Let's play."

**-End Chapter Fourteen-**


	15. Chapter 15:: Stupid Intentions

**Onyx's Note::** Alright...I hate to admit it, but damn I went off on a tangent when I wrote that last chapter. Mind you, I was about five sheets to the wind with exhaustion and I was really pushing myself to finish it at the time. But no worries, not going to make this into a Mary-Sue. And to prove this, I present this rather...**_funny_** chapter. Do Enjoy!

**::Her Perspective::**

I'm not stupid. I know that it was just a dream…but it was empowering. I know that there is no force in this entire universe that can tame Riddick. Think I'm gonna try? Meek, anxiety filled Onyx? **_Oh hell no_**. I'm just playing with him. Playing in a way I haven't in a very long time. And I also know to be careful…because this isn't a game of chase the kitty. This is Riddick. **THE RIDDICK**. Who can easily break me with just those silver blue orbs of immense animal rage. All he has to do is stare me down and growl something under his breath and I'll be sitting on the bed like a child that's been scolded for stealing a cookie. He's a nice kitty with me…I plan on staying that way. I'm content with the purr…no claws included.

Looking up into that molten gaze of exhausting passion I soften…my face a portrait of my sudden realization of how insane I've been acting for the last few minutes. "Riddick… I'm no good at this." I sigh and watch his eyes become thoughtful. "I was…trying to act wild…thinking maybe this was the kind of woman you wanted." I choke at the edge of my sentence and can't look into those understanding eyes. Averting my gaze I let the words drip from my lips like acid. "Not this pathetic, broken, fat little girl…"

I feel the rush of warm air dance over the front of my body as he sighs, places the tip of his index finger under my chin, and gently raises my face until we're eye level. "Is that what this is all about? You think…that I think that of you?"

His voice is a dark lull of compassion and concern as he searches my eyes with his. All I can do, is swallow down the hard lump that's clinging desperately to the back of my throat like a bad date that won't accept going home. "My nightmare…the thing that fucked with me, turned into you." I say finally and try to sound strong, try to be a good soldier…but it only whispers pathetically away from my trembling lips. "It said horrible things…and it felt so real. It was you Riddick…"

I stop again and keep my eyes down. I can't look at him…I feel so weak and stupid right now. What the hell was I thinking acting like that? Oh god…did I really taunt him? Just knowing that I did those things makes me sick to my stomach. I feel as though I want to find a crate, crawl inside it, and hope that it's thrown out of the airlock before anyone knows I'm gone. Then I wouldn't have to be doing this right now. I would be trapped in the cold embrace of space with nothing but the silence as company. Or that lovely implosion thing that happens…oh wait, that means I would explode from the inside out. My body would cave in on itself. Actually doesn't sound like a such a bad idea at the moment. Anything to hide me away from the things I just said and did. If there was ever a time I wanted to cease to exist…now would be great.

"Onyx…" His melodious voice, so rich and deep, like a strong cup of coffee on a cold Sunday morning, weaves through me. How does he do that? "You think I want you like that? Woman…you've got a lot to learn."

I bite hard into my bottom and lip and force myself to look into his eyes. "I'm sorry." I say in a pathetic squeak and feel the tear dash down the right side of my face.

Riddick shakes his head at me and leads me to sit next to him on the bed. "So this bad version of me said nasty things to you…" He states and watches me nod slowly. "I take it he wasn't spouting poetry." I nod again and feel his large hand take hold of my much smaller one and gives it a reassuring squeeze. "You should probably tell me what he said so I can tell you whether there's any truth in it."

My eyes widen and close, as those dark, vicious words begin to flow back into my memories. I don't want to repeat them…it makes me feel dirty, vulnerable in a sense. "He said that he didn't love me. That I was just a sweet piece of ass that was more then willing to give it up to him." I have to pause to take a deep breath. Repeating this is more painful then I thought. "That I was a pathetic fat little girl. He also added that I would like it if he hurt me… Making me bleed and begging him to stop if he…" That's it. I can't do this anymore. I can't get another word out. This is beyond embarrassing. It's humiliating.

I feel the silence like a poison, choking the life out of me as Riddick sits in quiet contemplation. Oh god what if everything I was told, even if it was a nightmare…turns out to be true? I can't think like this…I'm just going to give myself a severe anxiety attack. Shit…my hands are shaking… Fuck, stupid body. Stupid anxiety. Why can't I be normal? Would that be so wrong, to be a normal person? No of course not! That would be way to much to ask.

"You want to know the truth?" Oh shit…he's speaking with that calm, emotionless tone. _Shit, shit, shit!_ "Pathetic…you are not. Fat? Do I really need to answer that? Do have any idea how incredibly false that is? Onyx…baby, my beautiful young, strong willed woman." I bring my eyes to his and see a familiar pulse of emotion swimming just behind his quicksilver gaze. "You don't have to pretend to be something you're not. I wouldn't love you as deeply and as intensely as I do if you were someone else."

"So…acting like I'm all bad ass…looked really stupid didn't it?" I chuckle and feel like I just fell out of the stupid tree, hit every branch on the way down and once I've face-planted into the stupid dirt, the stupid tree decides to be a smart ass and collapses on me. Again…I feel **_really_** stupid.

"Not stupid…interesting and worrying, but in no way stupid."

"Are you sure? 'Cause that was pretty stupid of me… I could have pissed you off and ended up in Davy Jones locker."

He raises a brow at my 'Davy Jones locker' comment. "You do know we're in space."

"I know, it sounded better in my head." I reply and shake my head at myself. Did I mention I feel incredibly and undeniably stupid? "I guess being a good actress can get my ass killed if I don't pay attention to what I'm playing at."

He nods and lets a slow smile dawn across those full lips. I swear…if that man never smiled, I'd vow he wasn't human. Because when he does, he's warm and inviting. Nothing like that cold hardened look he's become so good at showing. When his lips curl in that beautiful motion, it makes me calm. The same comfort I get when I hear the deep purr of a cat, is in the way he smiles when he looks at me. He makes me feel loved. "Baby…you had me worried for awhile there. I thought you lost it. But you know what I realized?"

I raise a brow in question as a mischievous sparkle flickers in his eyes. "You're just crazy over me."

"Oh my god!" I bark and hear him chuckle. "You are such a dork! Do you have any idea how cheesy that sounded?" I say and smack him playfully on the chest, only making him laugh. I can't help but laugh myself…especially with that shit eating grin on his face. "Moose."

"Moose?" He repeats quickly, pretending to feel hurt. "Of all the nerve… Why not a Lion? Or a prowling panther?"

"You're a moose…trust me." I giggle and watch his eyes narrow.

"Them is fightin' words, little missy." He growls in a very accurate southern drawl that only makes me burst into a fit of giggles.

I can't help myself and say in the deepest voice I can muster. "Why you shurr do godda purday mouwth." And fall over in hysterical laughter at the sight of his jaw dropping.

"That was…honestly the scariest thing I've ever seen you do. You sounded just like a man." Riddick muses and shakes his head at me as I fall off the bed right onto my ass.

"Ow my butt." I struggle out between laughs and watch him chuckle at my gracefulness.

"You're new nickname will be grace if you keep that up." He says in a controlled voice even if he's trying not to chuckle and offers me his hand.

I take it and am pulled into his arms. "Yup…that's me. About as graceful as a drunk elephant on a tight wire." I chime with a goofy grin on my face and feel him chuckle as I curl up against his body. "I'm such a dork…"

"This may be true." Riddick adds and kisses the top of my head while pulling me closer. "But you're my dork. Mine. You hear me?"

I'm calmed immediately by his words and nod my head against him. "And you're all mine." I reply softly and nuzzle my face against the majesty of his chest. Not feeling quite as stupid as before…

I don't know how he does it… I guess it's a **_Riddick thing_**.

**-End Chapter Fifteen-**


	16. Chapter 16:: Follow the Leader

**Onyx's Note::** You are all so very precious. I am honored to have so many wonderful readers. Even if you don't leave feedback all the time, just knowing that you're enjoying this, makes writing more fulfilling at the end of the day. With that said, here is the anticipated chapter 16. And in this one holds a great deal of personal experience for me. The memories later on that are italicized, are Real Life memories. In this chapter, you get to see a peak into my mind. I hope you enjoy!

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**::Her Perspective::**

"You want me to…oh no, no thanks." I say and take a few steps back, but fail as his hand gracefully reaches out and takes a hold of my arm and pulls me next to him. "Come on Riddick I can't. I'm scared."

"You'll never conquer your fear until you face it." He says in a smooth tone, pulls it out and places it in front of me. I cringe at the sight of it and start to feel the fear web through my chest, making it harder to breathe. "Easy Onyx, it won't kill you."

"But it's so big!" I exclaim and jump as he takes it in his large hand so I can get a better look. I don't want to look. I know what it feels like, and I especially don't need to watch it go in. "Riddick this is wrong, I can't do this…"

His lips capture my words in a soft kiss, rendering me helpless. Why does he always do that? "It's ok baby…it only hurts for a second." And before I can utter another word of protest he slams it into me, causing a hiss to flow from my lips. It stings and causes the sensitive flesh around it to pulse and throb. Then another sensation. A slow and steady burning as I'm filled with its deadly nectar.

Finally, he pulls the thing out and looks into my eyes. "You bastard!" I slug him hard in the chest. "That fuckin' hurt Riddick… I fucking hate needles."

He smirks and places the empty syringe back into the med kit next to him. "I know, but in order for you to adjust to your new environment it was mandatory to have a small vaccination. Besides, I don't need you gettin' sick."

I growl under my breath and narrow my eyes at him. "Then why didn't you do this when I first boarded?"

"We we're busy jumping orbit." He replies simply and rubs his hands together. "I don't know about you, but I could use some grub. You hungry?"

"Sure…moose." I hiss between my clenched teeth and follow him out of sickbay. He's very loving, don't get me wrong…but every once in awhile that cocky side comes out and I just want to hit him with a blunt object. "What are we having?" I ask as we enter another room which looks vaguely like a kitchen.

"Whatever we've got…" He says while looking through a cabinet made out of the same metal as the rest of the ship. Riddick stops and pulls out an odd looking box and smiles at me. "We're havin' chilly."

Curious, I walk up to him and take the box out of his hands as he goes back to foraging. "Dried rations? Huh…wonder if it tastes good." I think aloud and turn to look at him, "hey…you wouldn't happen to have any…"

My voice trails off when he pulls a small device out of another cupboard and grins. "Coffee? Sure do. Made a point to salvage some from your apartment before we left."

As he starts to set everything out along the counter, my heart sinks. Home…my beautiful home. I really miss the ocean air as a new fog would roll in every morning. I miss that gorgeous sunset over the ocean in the winter months. Home… My appetite plummets and I find myself slumped down in a chair at the table to the right of the room. Elbows set on the smooth surface, I hold my head in my hands and try to push back the painful ache in my chest. I take in a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to control the onslaught of tears swelling behind the veil of my eyes. I can't think about these things…there's nothing I can do about it. Life changes, you either accept it and go with it, or get swallowed in its unforgiving wake. I feel like I'm drowning as pictures begin to flash in my mind, as though the old memory projector has come to life on its own and there's no off switch.

_I can see myself standing at the edge of the bluffs. My favorite place on the California coast. Far away from the madness of the city, but just close enough to spend only an hour on the freeway. Where me and the girls would go dancing the night away in Los Angeles.  
Then I see myself surrounded by friends, all laughing, smiling as we talk over hot coffee at Starbucks. Discussing life and the chaos surrounding it.  
I'm taken back to the cliffs, a time spent with my wild friends at the park. Raccoons coming to greet me as I bring them something special. Their adorable purring and chirping noises as they waddle around trying to steal each-others food. Only to scurry off as a skunk comes tearing ass my way, stops, sees me, and runs in the other direction.  
The times I spent in my Mom's driveway as a rebellious teenager. Looking up at the vast eternity of space as crickets sang a playful melody into the cool desert air. Then the sound of Coyotes howling wildly in the distance, pulling my thoughts away from the heavens. I call back, mimicking their joyful song and find myself watching as a small pack of Coyotes run down my street. They stop and look at me, curious, afraid. I make a soft whimper, indicating I won't hurt them and hear them whimper back before running off into the night._

Those precious memories fill me with a tremendous sense of loss as I fight to block them out. I try and fail. Feeling the emotion of each memory tear into my breaking heart. I choke back my breath as tears threaten to spill forth. I can't do this. I can't let this get to me. I have to accept the fact, that I may never see my home again. I have to… "Jesus…" I exclaim above a whisper and rub my hands hard into my face, trying to push the thoughts away.

"You ok? You're awfully quiet." Riddick's voice, that sweet soul consuming sound brings me back to the present, only making the pain inside swell. "Baby?"

"Yea," I reply as my tone cracks against my wishes. "I'm here."

I feel so far away, as though my mind is a moth being summoned by a force of light unknown to me. Calling to me, beckoning me back to that cold dark place somewhere hidden within the trenches of my mind. That vast current of silence reaching out to me with its icy hands. I want to go there. I want to drown into the ocean of my soul.

I can feel his energy before he takes a seat to my left, placing the chair backwards so that he can straddle it. I remain in my state of quiet contemplation and feel the heat of his palm ease gently against my arm. At any other moment it would bring me a sense of peace…but now I feel only the touch of his hand as if it were an enigma... As though his gesture of comfort is alien to me.

"Babe what's wrong." He says in a statement more then a question. I know he's trying to draw me out…but I'm afraid, as of right now, I've fallen too far.

"I think my body is reacting to the vaccination you gave me." I say in a truthful manner, knowing that my words hold no lie within them. True, my body is reacting, but it's my soul that's caving in.

I can feel his gaze burning holes of concern into my flesh as I bring my head up from my hands. His solemn expression, cold, contemplative, tries to read my eyes. But they hold no resolution, no answer to the questions I can sense are swirling in his mind. I want to reach out to him, tell him of my sorrows, of the pain that's slithering through my blood like a sea snake emerging from the depths. I want to explain the horrible grinding ache that's beginning to consume me as I begin to fall victim to the realization…that I will never go home.

"Something on your mind?" Riddick can sense my chaotic energy as I take in slow, controlled breaths.

I give him a smile that would tame an enraged beast from attacking. "Yea but it's come and gone. Nothin' to worry about."

He tilts his chin, analyzing the lines of my face. Riddick's obviously not buying it. "You're too calm." He eyes me carefully and adds, "I know, that whatever it is you're thinking about is bothering you. If you need to talk, you know I'm here. Just because I have a reputation for being a cold-blooded killer doesn't make me a bad listener."

My hand moves across the surface of the table and is greeted by his touch. Intertwining my smaller fingers with his, I give his hand a squeeze and sigh. "I'm just…homesick I guess. But it'll pass."

A look of understanding washes over the intense details of his face as he places his other hand on top of mine, sandwiching my hand within his. "Onyx if it starts to get hard…which I know it will… I want you to talk to me about it. It's not healthy to keep it locked away. That only leads to problems you don't need. I may not speak much on my past, but if it makes you feel any better… I would share it with you." Riddick becomes softer, his jaw tensing as he swallows down his pride. "I would do that because I love you, and there's nothing in all the universe that I wouldn't do…just to see you smile. And to know, that I've made you happy."

"Why do you have to be such an Angel?" My voice is hoarse as a wave of unconditional love dances between us. Unseen on invisible wings, but powerful enough to reconnect the link between two lost souls, floating through the endless mass of space. "You know…I never thought you'd…be this way."

A small half smile eats at the corner of his mouth as he regards me in a thoughtful manner. "Sensitive? Understanding?" I nod and watch his face light up. "Yea…you're not the only one. It's been a long time since I've felt anywhere close to human. And for the first time in my fucked up existence…I have someone to share my heart with." He breaks his train of thought with a deep cough, trying to cover the emotions making their way into his throat. "No one has ever given me the chance. There's always been that feeling that they had hidden agendas. Women in general were never more then a means to get laid. I hate to put it out there like that, but it's the truth. There was never any connection, no emotion. All they cared about was a good fuck, and I was just the piece of meat to get the job done."

Furrowing my brow I suddenly have a revelation. "They…used you." I say it with a hint of disgust at the thought that he was just seen as some kind of cheap thrill. "I…I'm so sorry."

It's amazing what you learn from a person who you had preconceived as a hardened killer. When in truth, there's still a man buried deep down inside, that yearns for love like anyone else. "Don't be." His voice is sprinkled with tiny drops of pain, something I know all too well. "It's the past, not something I dwell on. What I'm focused on now, is the present." His eyes hold that secret emotion that needs no words to understand. "I'm focused on you…"

I lean forward and kiss his forehead, breathing in his scent in one tender action. Showing him that no matter what secrets unfold before us, I will never take my heart from him. Riddick is that shelter I've longed to find, and with him in my life, I know I'll become a better person.

"So…ready for some coffee?" He says with a lighter tone, one that's full of life.

"Is it tall, dark and handsome?" I chime in a sweet lull of a voice as he kisses my hand, stands and pulls me to my feet.

He chuckles and gives my hand a gentle squeeze. "Just the way you like it."

**-End Chapter Sixteen-**


	17. Chapter 17:: Jaded Perfection

**Onyx's Note::** To all my readers, you are all the Best!! Thank the gods you shexies let me be my twisted self... And as promised, I give to you one truly mind screwing chapter!! Do enjoy!

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**::His Perspective::**

She doesn't know me…she wants to, I can feel it. Why am I doing this? Why am I letting my guard down? I don't know what's happening to me. She makes me feel…unlike anyone before her. She actually gives a shit about me. She wants to Know Me. And not the Murdering Ex Con I've been painted out to be… But the…real, true me. That's a lot to ask when I think about it. Onyx has a only surface point of view, and yet she wants to dig deep and find the truth. No one has ever stopped to ask me, how I felt. What was going through My Mind. No one… Just Her. I don't know what's going on in that complex mind of hers, but what I do know is that I'm willing to try this out… This companionship. I've never experienced this before. Never had a woman to call my friend, let alone my mate. Maybe I'll let her in…and if I do…will she hate the person she finds?

I watch her finish off the chilly I've made. She seems satisfied at how good it actually tastes. The cup of rich coffee in her hand as she brings it her lips, keeps me still. I love watching her. Observing her as she goes through normal motions. It's amazing what one woman can do to a man… Make him feel and think about things that's never crossed his mind. Make everything more complicated, dangerous.

"Should probably take something to Johns. Don't want our investment dying of starvation." I say and grab a small cup of what's left of the chilly. Mostly the shit that burned at the bottom of the pan. "You gonna be alright by yourself?" I ask as she smiles at me, swallowing down a mouthful of coffee.

"I'll be fine. Go attend to Mr. Asshole."

I chuckle at her remark and take my leave. Cup in hand, I trot toward the cargo hold and stop in the doorway. Reviewing the situation, I take in account the pathetic slump he's in. Head hung low, dark circles just beneath his eyes. Fighting off those painful tremors. Wonder how long it's been since his last hit? Wonder if I should tell him he looks like crap? "Wake up Johns." My voice is flat, dead and cold. I put on my game face and loom towards him, his eyes glaring up at me behind his exhausted smirk. "Got some food for you."

"What fuckin' took you so long?" He tries to say in his old sing song voice, trying to hide the fact that he's dehydrated and weak.

I narrow my eyes and stare down at him. "Here." I snarl and drop the hot cup into his hands, forcing him to catch it with the chains restraining his movement. Sadly, he's managed to keep it in his grasp. "Enjoy." Is the last word from my lips as I turn on the heel of my boot and start to walk back to the corridor when his voice stops me in my tracks.

"Once you finally pass that wormhole..." Mouth full of chilly, he smirks at me when I turn to look at him. "they'll be waiting for you."

"I'm planning on it."

"Oh really? Does little miss Onyx know about this?" Johns purrs in an evil tone and narrows his sunken eyes. "You didn't tell her did you? So that's how your playin' this out… Damn Dick, you're more twisted then I thought."

"In case you haven't noticed Johns, your ass is in chains." I retort, my body rigid, my face calm. "And don't try and act like you know what I'm thinkin'."

"You think acting like a human being is going to win her over? You've gotta be the dumbest mother fucker I've ever laid eyes on." He swallows the rest of his food and points the cup at me as though it were a gauge. "You and I both know that little lady is in for a rude awakening. How you think she's gonna react when she finds out you're really a Bounty Hunter? That all this time, you've led her to believe you're the victim." He stops and jerks his chains. "Shit, how long you think I want to sit like this?"

"Keep your fucking voice down." I snarl under my breath, go to the door leading to the corridor, close it and make sure it's securely locked so there are no interruptions. I walk back to Johns and crouch down in front of him. "You're going to remain this way for as long as it takes. And the next time you feel like opening your mouth, remember that I have no problem with ghosting your sorry ass."

He quirks a brow at me as though I'm boldfaced lying. "You can't kill your partner Dick."

"You're not my partner." I snap quietly and feel a slight ache in the back of my head. Is it my conscience? Shit I didn't even think I had one…this is going to make things more difficult.

"Fine…I'm the investment, right? Your leeway to freedom. I'm guessin' that's what you've told her. Well, that's all fine and dandy…" He trails off and lowers his voice to barely a whisper. "But what's she gonna do when she finds out that all of this has been set up from the beginning?"

"Plans change."

"They do? Since when Dick?" He looks at me in a cold stare, waiting for me to reply. When I choose not to, he continues. "She's getting underneath your skin… You've gotta stop this before you lose yourself man. I've seen too many good men get killed just because of a fucking piece of ass."

"You watch what you say." My hand is at his throat and the cup goes crashing to the deck in a sharp clang. "This is my fucking ship, my rules. Get Me? If I want to play with this bitch, I'm going to do so. I don't need some pathetic wannabe Merc tryin' to get all up in my shit." I hear him struggle for breath as his eyes tell me the fear that's building in his mind at the sound of my voice. "Do we have an understanding?"

"Yes…now let go." He chokes out, his face turning a nice shade of purple before I release my hold. He coughs and hacks as air travels in and out of his lungs freely. "You are one evil bastard you know that?" Johns exclaims while rising his head, a smile on his lips.

A grin, filled with every horrible intention imaginable takes hold of my mouth and stretches it wide. "And I'm so fucking good at it."

**::Outside Perspective::**

Onyx, with coffee in hand, begins roaming the ship with a causal gate. Thoughts light and playful, dance through her mind when she comes to a door, on the far side of the hull. Standing at the opposite end of where the cargo hold would be, she becomes…curious. The door has an odd feeling to it, as though something is calling out in silent waves from the other side. Looking back from whence she came, she uses the hem of her shirt to shield her fingers as she presses the button on the panel to the right side of the door. The pistons let out an angry moan as the door slowly slides back into the frame. Eyes narrowed, she gazes into the darkness of the room when her nose is filled with an array of smells.

The air feels choked and old, giving her the distinct sensation that there has been no warmth in this room for days. If pain were a scent, this would be it. The energy is so thick and overpowering with helplessness she has to cover her face with the front of her shirt, trying to filter out the stench that threatens to cause her stomach to empty its contents all over the deck. _Thank the gods I have a strong stomach._ She thinks inwardly and slowly, carefully, she looks at the wall nearest to the door and finds a what appears to be an old fashioned light switch. Quickly, she flips the switch but nothing happens. Grumbling, she tries to make her eyes adjust to the darkness that consumes the entirety of the room.

Taking small steps, she enters the pitch black area and hears the distinct sound of the pistons turning. "Oh don't you fucking dare!" She warns with a hint of terror in her voice and goes to turn around when the door slides shut, locking into place. With her left hand holding the cup of coffee, she slams her right hand into the metal of the door. "Fucking ship! God damn it…" She grinds her teeth and smacks her forehead against its seemingly impenetrable surface.

She doesn't move for a long time…hoping that in the silence, she can collect herself and use her other senses to find a way out. _Maybe the door has a side panel?_ Her mind ponders as she eases back, the palm of her right hand flat against the door, when small vibrations through the metal tickle her nerve endings. It's the ship's engines, churning, cranking as it propels them through space. Weird how she never picked up on it before. It's almost like a soft hum against her flesh, the sensation almost like thousands of bees are swarming within the cold metal of the ship. Sighing, she slides her hand to the right of the door and finds what feels like a panel. Narrowing her eyes, she peers at what she feels, trying desperately to catch some light in her widened pupils. When only it's outline begins to form in her focused gaze, a sound…freezes her in place.

A rough growl starts slowly, only to increase it's ferocity and volume as a chill travels every square inch of her spine. She can't move, and doesn't want to as the sound bounces off the cold walls around her, surrounding her in deadly embrace. It's threatening, like that of a wounded animal baring its teeth when cornered in a cage. Onyx closes her eyes, takes a deep and very controlled breath, holds it, and then releases as quietly as possible. Keeping her anxiety restrained with an inner bitch slap of her will, she turns her body toward the source of the sound that's waiting…deep within the darkness. She doesn't want to seem a threat to what ever creature is watching her within the murky depths of the shadows.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Her voice is so soft, so gentle as it leaves her tense jaws. She uses the same tone that has always geared away a potential attack from an animal, disarming them with an essence of pure innocence.

Animals can tell a lot by the sound of someone's voice and how they use it. But when they peer into your eyes and seem to be looking right through with their piercing gaze, they can read every hidden secret of your soul. And this will either manifest an attack in defense of their own well being…or submit with a greeting that holds no hostility. Onyx has been fortunate enough to have the latter of the two every time. Especially with wild animals. They always seem to know instinctively that she has always been an anomaly of her human species. That though she may have the appearance of a human, she has the heart and soul of a wild beast. Untainted and pure, with no essence of a hidden agenda to gain power over others. She is very much akin to her animal brethren. Very in-tune with her primitive side…the animal side.

She waits for an indication of movement, a sound of shuffling feet touching the deck beneath her. When there is nothing but a soft grunt, a familiar noise that tells her that the creature has no intention of attacking. She opens her eyes to the enveloping black before her and sees a flicker of light. It's faint, almost dull, but as she watches, it seems to be focused on her. Two individual jewels, seemingly intelligent as they begin to illuminate with a light blue silver. As though there's a recognition in those calculating orbs. She too feels a sense of familiarity, as though something in that pulsing gaze…speaks to her.

Carefully, she drags her feet along the deck, making sure that if an obstacle were to suddenly appear she could anticipate it and maneuver herself around it. Just as she does this, the tip of her naked foot comes into contact with a hard metal object. Using her toes as fingers, she gently trails them over it's cold surface, inspecting it to see if it's a potential danger. Furrowing her brow, the shape of it, as well as it's smooth edge tell her to reach down and pick it up. Onyx lowers herself enough to reach out with her right hand, trails the tips of her fingers just to make sure, and finally cups it in her palm. Rising up on silent feet she grips what feels like a handle. Her mind clicks with a realization. She's holding a curved blade, and by feeling its surface from handle to tip, she estimates it to be around six inches in length.

She keeps it close to her body as she continues her journey toward the unwavering flickers of light. They follow her as she finally stops within a foot of them. A scent, strong and musky, fills her nostrils only causing her to gasp. It's a male scent, of human origin. Then, a soft sound of breathing, slow and steady, enters the tunnels of her ears as wave of warm breath fans out over the front of her face. She goes to take a step back when the room is suddenly flooded with a milky yellow light. She has to clench her eyes shut as the light hits the back of her skull in tiny sparks of unwelcome pain.

Onyx opens her eyes once more, the deck filling her sight as she readjusts to her surroundings. She brings to the blade up and sees the perfection of it…the quality of craftsmanship that must have gone into it as she palms with appreciation. "Wow…what a beautiful shiv." She says in awe but suddenly remembers the breathing…and slowly, painstakingly turns her gaze forward and feels her entire world collapse around her.

"I was beginning to wonder when the light would come on." A rich, penetrating voice weaves its way through her blood as her mind starts to self destruct.

Chains connected to shackles, dangle from the wall as they restrain a beast of a man. He squints his eyes at her as his legs are spread, ankles shackled to the floor. But he appears powerful, as though he's a king sitting in his throne. Her mind blurs with confusion and shock at the seen before her. Unable to withhold her undeniable astonishment, her mouth opens and lets her frightening tone lift in the air around them. "Riddick?"

A smirk dances across his bruised mouth as he tilts his head at her. "In the flesh. You seem surprised to see me. I don't know if I should be hurt or take that as a compliment." He growls in that infamous tone of voice she knows all too well. His face contorts into a look of remorse when he adds. "I never thought we'd meet this way Onyx… Hell, if I had it my way, you would have never gotten on this ship in the first place."

"H-how…" Her voice is unknown to her as she tries to fight the chaos in her mind.

"That thing out there…the one who's chatting up Johns right now…" He tilts his chin up a few degrees and says, "is my Identical Twin brother."

He watches her facial expression and nods, knowing that poor Onyx is about to have a serious melt down. "Yea… I know… It just proves that God has one fucked up sense of humor."

Suddenly…the cold embrace of unconsciousness takes hold of Onyx…and before she can stop herself, her body falls to heap on the hard deck. Completely knocked out.

**-End Chapter Seventeen-**


	18. Chapter 18:: Bed of Lies

**Onyx's Note::** It seems this story is about to get very complicated, (Which is actually good lol) and it will begin to reveal some very complex emotions between everyone involved. Oh yes, I am very twisted _grins_ and as this evil tale of sexy goodness continues, you'll learn that my brain is just pure chaos lol. I'm currently exhausted and if there are any glitches in this chappy, I'm sorry. And just to warn you...it's a tear jerker. _huggles everyone tight_ I hope you enjoy

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**::Her Perspective::**

My head is pounding, slamming hard against my temples until my eyes are forced to open. I'm still lying on the deck, shiv held close to my body, my coffee cup on its side, the contents pooling out in a dark stream. "How…" I can't continue the sentence as I sit up and observe my surroundings. "Oh shit." I blurt out when I realize I'm at his feet…his gaze pouring down at me like cold, acid rain.

"I didn't think you'd be up this soon." He purrs softly, his face holding that infamous smirk I recognize the instant our eyes meet. "You hit the deck pretty hard."

"How long was I out?" I manage to say while getting back on my feet, picking up the cup that held the coffee I'm seriously needing at the moment.

"Twenty seconds." He replies and keeps those predatory eyes burning through me. The way he's looking at me makes my nerve endings spark with small tendrils of fire, and not the good kind. It's the kind of feeling you get when you realize this **IS** the Riddick you've known about. This **IS** the **_Very Killer_** that makes my worst nightmare seem like a childish fantasy. There's a sense of unpredictability around him, holding him in an invisible embrace… As though it's restraining him to remain as human as possible.

Doesn't matter if he's chained…he's fucking scary. "That's all?" I say in calm question as I stand up straight and continue gazing at him in way…that a gazelle would when being faced with a starving predator. Not a pleasant feeling at all. "I'm…surprised that I actually passed out… I've never done that before." I explain even though I feel as though I've just entered a lion's den.

He's not saying anything, he's just…looking at me. I don't know what the hell I'm going to do. But there is something I do know, this **_IS Riddick_**. I can feel it in my fucking bones. It's unlike any other feeling I've ever had. It's that instinctive knowledge, that intuition telling me with every other sense of my being that **This** is the Man I've been dreaming about. That leaves many…unanswered questions. And also…a soft burning of anger somewhere deep in the bowels of my soul.

"You should probably get going. My piece of shit Twin of a brother is close to ending his conversation with Johns, and if you want to keep our little meeting between us, get your ass in the shower. Make sure the water is just hot enough that you can burn my scent from your body." His growl becomes so low I swear I can feel it travel through the hollow of my bones. "…I don't want to have to go shiv happy on his wannabe ass."

I swallow hard and begin to back up when a thought hits me. Even if I'm terrified of this entire situation, my heart still remains pure. "When should I come back?"

This…Riddick, gives me a strange look. As though I've just read his mind and said the words he didn't want me to hear. "Knock him out. Slip something in his drink when he's distracted. I don't care how you do it, just make sure he's out cold. And when you are absolutely positive he's asleep, go to the captain's log on the bridge. Main deck. It'll be easy for you to figure out."

I nod to him and go toward the door, find the panel and wait as it slides open. Right as I'm about to step out from the room, I shut off the light and hear him say, "be careful baby girl. I don't want anything to happen to you." My heart stops when I hear him say those words. I nod once more, not looking back, and wait as the door slides shut behind me…locking in place.

Without hesitating I run at full speed down the corridor and cut the corner hard as I fly through the open bedroom door. Setting my cup on the bathroom sink, I rip off my clothes, which thankfully are tossed into a small opening in the wall that is sucked straight into a laundry shoot. From what…the other Riddick has told me, it automatically cleans the clothes and shoots it back out into the bedroom in a pile. If I had something like that back at home, my bedroom would have been so much easier to clean…

I stop dead in my tracks and realize I still hold the shiv in my hands. I can't let him find it. Fuck, where the hell do I put it? A thought slams hard into the back of my head as I run, buck-ass-naked through the bedroom and find one of my many stuffed animals I managed to bring onto the ship. I grab my life-sized black panther, find my bag filled with random things, find a small box filled with safety pins, grab a handful, put the box back into the bag and place the bag in the exact spot I'd left it. My blood is pounding through my veins as I make a small cut in its belly, shove the blade deep inside the stuffing and then proceed to pin it back together. Once I've finished, sweat dripping down my forehead, I grab one of my old T-shirts from my pile of clothes next to the bed, slip it on and over the stuffed animal and place it next to my bag. Breathing hard I take one last look and run back into the bathroom.

Knowing…that very soon, HE will be looking for me.

Running on autopilot, I turn the odd looking shower on and breathe a sigh of relief when the water comes pouring out of the shower head like device. I step into the semi large shower stall and close the glass door behind me. I let out a moan as the steaming hot water drenches my entire body. It's at that temperature where it burns everything off my skin, without scolding me in the process. Quickly, I find the soap I had brought with me and start to scrub my flesh as if I had been dowsed in a poisonous sludge. I'm scrubbing everything so hard I don't realize I'm turning a lovely shade of red. My brain is so fried from the things I've just discovered that I can't help myself from trying to rid myself of these horrible feelings. I feel like I've just become filthy with lies… And all I can do is let the blessed heat wash away my sins.

Calming down a bit, I place the bar of soap back where I found it and reach for my shampoo. I notice my hands are shaking and try to push my body to remain calm as my mind fights to have another melt down. _God damn it…keep yourself together. You have to think of survival. You have to keep yourself rational. You don't need him wondering…or asking questions. Put that fucking guard up Onyx!_ I growl inwardly and become dead calm. The kind of calm where everything feels like a dream and all you can do is act accordingly. I watch as the thick liquid squeezes out of the tip of the shampoo bottle, swirling into a nice little pool in the palm of my hand. I watch it in a daze as I put the bottle back and begin lathering my hair.

Closing my eyes I begin to slowly massage the sweet smelling liquid into my wild mane, feeling it become suds as it envelopes my head in clean bubbles. Becoming more relaxed I scrub slowly, my eyes held shut as the wonderful heat of the shower pours down in waves, warming my body in a gentle rhythm. I don't know how long I had my eyes closed before I turned and dipped my head back, allowing the water to cleanse the last of my anxiety away. And just when I was about to bring my rinsed head up to open my eyes I heard the shower stall door open and close…and felt wild heat dangerously close to my vulnerable flesh.

My mind clear of all things chaotic, I keep myself relaxed as large hands gently and tenderly take hold of my arms. I open my eyes slowly and see his eyes shielded behind dark goggles. I give a coy smile and place my small hands on his naked chest, marveling the chiseled beauty of his meticulously sculpted muscles. "Hand me that bottle behind you?" I ask in a soft purr and watch as his lips curl into a devilish smile.

"The conditioner right?" He asks in a deep husky tone laced with hidden sexual intentions. With a graceful move of his massive arm, he reaches over me, takes hold of the conditioner and hands it to me.

"Thank you baby." I bring my lips to his, brushing them teasingly along his wanting mouth and take the bottle from his hand. "This won't take long." I murmur with a playful wink, turn my back to him so that I'm facing the water and start the second part of the hair ritual. A large amount of conditioner in hand, I brush it through my long strands with a masterful ease. As I do this, I feel his strong hands find the small of my back, where those deadly fingers begin a gentle massage against my flesh.

I hear the growl, feel it race through my spine as he says, "damn baby… Your entire lower back is full of knots."

"Yea…I've had that for years. It eases up every once in awhile, but recently… It's gotten worse." I reply in a sweet voice as his fingers knead the tense tissue with a tender ease. I let out a soft moan as pleasure swirls through my blood, calming any worry that may have engulfed my mind. I know that he's not who I thought him to be, but I can't think about this right now. I need to feel something normal. I know it's selfish of me, but I need to find comfort in this man…whom I've grown deep feelings for. Even if he's not the one who deserves them…he'll keep them for now. He'll be the one I let inside. The one that is allowed to touch me in ways no one else has.

Until I can find the truth behind all the lies.

"I've got to rinse this out, ok?" I announce softly and feel his chest press against my back, causing a wave of Goosebumps to flare up along my flesh. I know I should feel weird now…knowing this **IS NOT** Riddick…but his _Twin_…

"Let me help you." He growls in that deep guttural tone of untamed desire causing every inch of my being to scream out in delight. I nod and close my eyes as he gently turns me toward him, leads me back a few steps and gently bends me back. "Hold your breath." I hear and feel the rush of wet heat engulf my head. Instinctively I do so as water splashes my face. I bring my arms up and squeeze my mane of the conditioner until I'm certain I've rinsed it out. I gently tap his chest and feel him pull me back up and into his arms, my breasts pressing gently against his firm toned skin.

A part of me is screaming out in rage. Wanting to me to tear his heart out for deceiving me. But then there's the other part of me that tells me to remain calm. That, just for now, enjoy this while it lasts. I don't want to feel as though I've betrayed everything I've ever believed in. Let myself be played the fool. But just this time, I want to find some peace in his arms. So far, he's shown me love. Even if it's false…even if it's just to get me where he wants me… That broken part of myself still needs the touch, the caress. The feeling of love. Even if everything has been a lie… I want to pretend. Let myself play the part of the loved. The needed.

Just the way he trails his hands along my back, leaving streams of electricity in their path as they move. So gently, so tenderly. As though he's mapping out the landscape of my flesh by just his fingertips. I breathe him in, my eyes heavy with desire and sadness, my body aching at the very sensation of his warmth so very close to me. I try to hold in the pain of my situation. Struggle to remain whole as I fall to pieces in his arms. As the liquid heat trickles down our bodies, tears spill from my eyes, but they fall blissfully undetected by the water that pours over us.

"Hey…" I hear his voice, but it's so far away now…

I feel those lips, the very ones that took my breath away the moment we first met, gently press against mine. I can feel his concern stinging my mouth as he begs for me to return the kiss. Hesitantly I comply, my lips quivering as I let the walls crumble around my soul, let myself be consumed in that old cage that holds every secret of my being. I can sense his confusion as he pulls me close. I decide that this is the moment that I should savor for as long as possible. Just let everything go…just let him fill me. I restrain the anger and let him overwhelm me.

But he stops, shuts off the shower and escorts me silently out of the stall. I walk with him, watchful, curious as he wraps me in a large towel, doesn't even grab one for himself and picks me up, cradling me in his arms as though I'm as fragile as crystal, afraid that I might break at any moment. I rest my head on his shoulder as he carries me back into the bedroom and lays me down onto the bed. I watch him in my silence as he disappears back into the bathroom and then returns a few minutes later drying the rest of the water from his body with a towel. He stops, holding the towel in his hands next to his waist. His goggles are no longer shielding his molten gaze from me…

His eyes, so beautiful in their ethereal glow as he peers at me with a look of emotion that holds no lies. I can see confliction there, as though he's torn. Silently, he makes his way toward me, drops the towel at his feet and begins to crawl up the bed. I feel the mattress sink as he makes his way next to me, lies down on his left side and pulls me into his arms. I curl up close to his warmth, drowning in this moment of silent understanding. There's a sense of sadness hovering around us, as though his soul knows that everything is about to change. But there are no words spoken. Just a quiet peace as I find a small comfort in his arms.

Knowing that when I wake up…

Our little precious bubble of bliss…will **shatter**.

**-End Chapter Eighteen-**


	19. Chapter 19:: Honey Coated Deception

**Onyx's Note::** You are all so very wonderful. And I truly, deeply mean that. I'm sorry it's taken so long to update, but I promise you won't be disappointed! Moving and job hunting has a way of over-taking ones life. So on the note, please...by all means... Enjoy!

* * *

**::Her Perspective::**

Curled up with the towel wrapped tight around my body, I shiver, feeling a deeper cold then I've ever felt. He tries to comfort me, tries to hold me closer, his embrace telling me of tenderness with no hidden intentions. It's just making everything worse. He's been so incredible to me…even if it's all been a big fucking lie from the beginning. I'm completely torn…with what I feel, and what I know. I'm running on empty, and yet my survival is based on what truth lies within the captain's log. I have to find a way to get to the bridge. I have to find something that will knock his big ass out long enough for me to get the information I need. Get him asleep for the right amount of time, get into his log and find out what in the fuck is going on. I'm not sure how I'm going to go about this, maybe I should just not think and just do it. Get up now, grab my small bag, making up an excuse to take it with me.

Yea…I think I'll go do that. He won't argue with me. There's a few things that are very different between the Twins. I know that for a fact now. This one, obviously trusts me and thinks that I have no idea about what he's been up to. He has no reason not to trust me, it's not like I'm going to hurt him. And thinking about it…I'm afraid when push comes to shove…I won't be able to. Even if I have the right weapon in hand, I could never hurt him…physically. I may not be a bad ass when it comes to strength, but being a woman… I do have other advantages. I've always had the a natural talent to get what I want through sheer mind power alone. I never used it in a bad way, I could never do that. But when it comes down to surviving, you bet your sweet ass I'm going to use what nature has given me. I will not be a statistic. I have not come this fucking far in life to just let people walk all over me.

What these men don't know, is what a real hard ass bitch I can be. They think that they can play me? If he thinks that I'm just some poor fragile creature desperate for someone to protect her… He's about to learn why there is no force deadlier…then that of The Wrath of a Woman's Scorn.

Pay back's a **_bitch_**.

I can feel the itch in my skin telling me to get up. I shuffle around in his arms slowly, making sure he won't pop up and try and come with me. I need my alone time. I start to slip away from those two massive arms, sensing the muscles lining the flesh twitching with curiosity. I can feel him watching me as I slip away and slide off the bed. I walk casually across the room to my bag and my stuffed animal, one that means more to me then any of the others at the moment. Picking it up, I stuff it under one arm and slip my bag into the other and start padding quietly to the door when I feel him sit up and look at me.

"Where you goin' baby?" His voice is gruff and low, as though my mental exhaustion has been somehow transferred to him.

I turn my body just enough to meet his gaze and give a loving smile. "I'm going to spend some time writing in my journal. I was thinking about making some tea that I brought with me. I think you'll like it. Would you like me to bring you some?"

He returns the smile and gives me that starry eyed, puppy love look. It kills me inside to see it. Because…it could easily be just a front to throw me off from the truth. "That sounds damned good. I take it you don't want me to join you."

I nod, still smiling. "You just stay here and relax. I can only imagine the stress Johns must have given you when you took him his food." I say knowing full well that whatever they discussed my very well be a plan between them. Call it my woman's intuition. Sometimes I should pay more attention to that nagging feeling in the back of my mind, telling me they're closer then what I previously thought. I guess being paranoid isn't such a bad thing after all.

He's giving me a strange look, one that tells me his cautious of me. Him? Cautious of me? You've got to be kidding me. "You sure everything's ok Onyx? You seem like you're somewhere else."

Oh you have no idea you manipulative beautiful bastard. "I'm starting to PMS…" I reply and watch him furrow his brow as though I've just spoken in another language. "I'm getting close to my period. It always makes me a little weird. Don't worry honey, it's a natural thing and if I could control it, I would find a way to stop it all together." I say with an amused tone and watch his eyes flicker with understanding.

"Just don't take too long baby…" He trails off, his body shimmering a beautiful bronze as he lays there naked before me. Funny how it's the last thing on my mind. "I'll miss you."

I sigh and keep my smile, even though I feel a slight sting in my chest. "I'll be back as soon as I make some tea. I have a feeling it'll make you feel much better." My words are bittersweet as I saunter out of the room and close the door behind me. My heart is pounding steadily in my chest as my mind becomes focused on the task at hand. He may have a few tricks up his sleeve, but what he doesn't know…is that I've got a mind full of them.

I make my way through the corridor, my life-sized panther under one arm, my bag in the other, as I continue toward the kitchen when my feet slow down to a stop. I remember the vaccination shot. It makes me wonder what the hell he actually injected me with. Was it really a vaccination? Or something that might harm me… Thinking about this, I walk on the balls of my feet, thankful that I can be just as silent as Riddick. That brings up another disturbing thought. When I find out the truth, I wonder what his first name is. I can't think about this, I have to keep my mind on one thought at a time. And right now, I need to do some research.

Moving under the embrace of stealth I make my way into the med lab that just happens to be close to the kitchen. I walk inside and put the light on to about thirty percent. Funny how all of those nights I spent reading and writing in low light conditions have actually paid off. This little wildcat doesn't need shined eyes to be able to see in the dark. Of course, I'm no where close to seeing in pitch black conditions, but I'm sure as hell not helpless. Just because I'm not the perfect killer he is, doesn't mean I'm not excellent at adjusting to any given situation. I'm not as weak as I let others believe. It gives me an advantage others don't tend to see. By keeping this important knowledge to myself, brings my odds of survival up from maybe to definitely. Which makes me even more dangerous in my own right.

Gods…I'm starting to sound like Riddick.

I make a quick observation of my surroundings and find exactly what I'm looking for. The syringe he used, is lying on the small table with a small bottle next to it. I suppose this is the same shit he pumped my veins with. Without touching it, I look at the syringe and notice some dark green liquid staining the inside. My eyes shift over to the bottle and sure enough, same liquid. I look at the label and read the small words typed into its surface. I don't quite understand it, but I make a mental note to remember it as I turn the lights off and leave the room. Thankful that I left everything in its place.

I have a hunch he thinks I'll make a point to look at it, out of curiosity. He really seems to believe that I'm just this naïve, defenseless creature. He just has no idea… Heh bad for him.

I go and walk into the kitchen and start preparing my chamomile tea. This stuff has a natural sedative, but knowing his big resilient ass, I'm going to need something ten times more potent. That's why I have my bag with me. Funny how he never looked through it. That's another thing, if he were the real Riddick, he would've questioned everything, being that he's always so inquisitive. Jesus do I look like I've got two brain cells fighting for dominance? It's actually a low blow to my ego. Fuck it, what he doesn't know, gives me more of advantage. Heh… it's interesting, how playing this little miss meek role is actually paying off…for now anyway. I can't get too cocky, I have to be alert to everything. I'm at that point right now, where I feel completely alone and if I'm not careful… Well I don't want to think about it.

Foraging through my bag I find a very small pill case, that looks more like something you'd carry breath mints in. Carefully, I open the tiny case and take out six Tylenol PM. They're pain relievers with enough kick in just two to knock me out. And I've got a very high resilience to sleeping pills. But six of these, mixed with honey, a little bit of lemon and warm, soothing chamomile, will put him into the depths of LaLa land. I know it will work. I've done this before. But, when I had, my old friend who's just as big if not bigger then billy bad ass, had a problem with taking pills. Something about swallowing pills actually caused him to choke on them. So, I mixed everything together, only three pills crushed and stirred into the honey, and handed him the concoction. He drank it greedily and within twenty minutes, he was out like a light.

Now, in Mr. Bad ass's case, this will **_REALLY_** knock him out cold. He'll probably sleep for about eight hours if I'm lucky.

Listening to my surroundings I quickly crush the pills in a small cup, add a great deal of honey and place a lemon next to the cup, one of many he had taken from my apartment. Now, I don't want him to taste the pills. So I'm going to have to get very creative. I look through one of the cabinets and find the things he took out of my kitchen. Vanilla extract. Perfect. I add a few drops into the thick creation and start to boil some water. He has this weird kind of stove that instantly cooks or heats anything you put on it. Thankful for these interesting blessings, I grab two tea bags and drop them into the water. The stronger the Tea, the better it'll taste.

My ears attuned to the corridor, I pour the strong tea into the metal cup and watch the hot liquid melt the inner contents. I grab the lemon I had found, peel it quickly with my hands and squeeze just enough sour juice into the cup. Putting everything back into place, I grab a clean spoon off the counter and mix the tea. Now it's time to taste it. I know that my taste buds are more sensitive then most, and knowing Him, he's probably just as acute. I sniff the tea and smell only the gentle aroma of the soothing chamomile. Now the taste…

I take a very small sip and have to fight off the urge to take down a gulp. This is just amazing! He's going to be in heaven when I give this to him. Pleased with the results I pour another cup of the tea for myself and add only the honey, lemon and vanilla extract. I need to be relaxed, not in a coma. Turning off the stove, I leave what's left of the tea on the stovetop and rinse off the spoon in strange looking sink to my right. And just to be absolutely sure, I find a rag, add some soap and water, and scrub the crap out of the entire surface of the counter. I'm not being anal, I'm being extremely careful.

Once I'm positive there are no traces of the pills, I wipe the counter down with a dry rag, admiring my clean up. I stop, take a deep breath, grab both cups and trot back through the corridor toward the room. A small smile of achievement dancing on my lips.

Now I'm at the bedroom door. I push the button on the side panel and watch the door slide back into its frame. A soft blanket of darkness fills my sight, but there's just enough light for me to see him laying back on the bed like a lazy cat wanting his tummy rubbed. I sigh shaking my head and enter the darkness. "I have a strong feeling you'll love this." I say as he sits up, his eyes burning into my memories.

I pad softly to the bed and hand him the larger of the two metal cups and watch as he takes a deep whiff of the tea. Outwardly I seem calm and pleasant, holding the same expression he had seen me in before I left. Inwardly I'm silent. I'm observing him as though I were analyzing a new species of predator, fascinated and terrified in one interesting emotion. He looks up into my eyes, I smile taking a slow sip of my tea and watch him do the same.

_Ok…gods please, if there was ever a time I needed you most. Please just let him enjoy it. Please…_

He takes the sip slowly, carefully. As though he's letting the tea swirl around his tongue. I watch him silently, wondering what's going through his mind when his face becomes hardened. His eyes glistened with some hidden emotion as he takes the cup from his mouth and gazes deeply into my eyes. My heart doesn't waver, it continues to pound steadily as I calmly regard him curiously. "Well? Do you like it? I hope it's not too sweet." I say gently, my voice curious as to what he thinks of the tea I had made him.

He takes in a deep breath, lets it out slowly and shakes his head. _Oh gods…no. Oh please no… _I hear my brain spat as he narrows his eyes at me.

"This…" His voice is low, so low I can feel it tingle through my bones. "…is the best shit I have ever tasted! How'd you do it?"

A huge wave of relief washes through me as I sit next to him on the bed and watch, very pleased, as he takes a few big gulps of the tea. Draining his cup of half its contents. "An old family secret. My mom taught me." I reply with a bit of pride dancing on the edge of my tongue as I too take a deep drink of my tea. "Well if you really want to know, it's the vanilla extract. It tends to cut down the harshness of the lemon juice."

He nods and decides to completely drain his cup. I have to let out a laugh as he grins wide and hands it to me. "Is there any more?"

"Yes baby, just enough for one more cup. Mind you, most of the lemon is gone so it won't have the same kick to it."

He waves his hand in dismissal. "That's fine baby. You just go ahead make it the way you like it and I'll be here waiting for you." His eyes glitter with delight when he leans in and leaves a soft kiss of appreciation on my lips. "Just don't take too long."

I smile and kiss him on the tip of his nose. "I won't." And leave the room to get him another cup of the tea. A few minutes later I return and notice he's not as alert as before. Damn…I guess this shit really works.

I walk over to him and sit next to him on the bed, handing him his cup. "Just so you know, Chamomile will naturally make you sleepy. I thought perhaps you needed it after all the shit we've been through in the last couple of days."

He lets out a growling yawn and takes the tea with a tired smile on his lips. "How'd I get so lucky?" He purrs and kisses my hand before taking another long drink of the fresh tea. "Hmm, you're right. It's not as tart. But it's still just as good."

I rub his naked thigh with my hand and watch with a silent victory at how quickly he drains the second cup. I offer to take the empty cup from him. "Here baby, I'll take it. You go ahead and lie down. You need the sleep." I purr in a soothing voice and watch as he lies back down, his eyes becoming heavy with sleep.

Ten minutes pass and he's completely passed out. I've been sitting here watching him, making sure that the pills have taken there effect. The best way to be sure, is to try and wake him up. I do so, gently shaking him, knowing that at any other time his eyes would open and shimmer at me. But nope… He's still in a deep sleep, and actually starts snoring. When someone is this exhausted, there is no way in hell you're going to wake them up. I sigh softly and stand up. It feels like this is the last time I will be able to look at him with trust in my eyes.

"I love you…" I say in a sad whisper and feel my chest tighten. I lean down and kiss the soft skin of his forehead before leaving the bedroom, both empty cups in hand. I look back one last time, almost dreading what I'm about to do. But there is no other way. I stand back and push the button on the side panel next to the wall and watch as the door slides shut.

Taking a deep needed breath I go back into the kitchen, wash out both cups, rinse out the sink and set them out to dry. With my heart in my throat I decide to go to the bridge… To end this sense of curiosity once and for all.

**-End Chapter Nineteen-**


	20. Chapter 20:: Silence is Golden

**WARNING:: Strong Language and Adult Content. Viewer Discretion Is Advised**

**::Her Perspective::**

I can't believe I'm doing this. Hell, I can't believe what I've just done! But I was forced into this…entire situation. I was cornered and now I'm fighting back. I'm going to keep fighting back until I find out exactly what I need to know. But do I really need to know? What if the truth isn't something I'm supposed to understand… Why the fuck am I even questioning this? I grumble softly at my inner thoughts, towel still wrapped snuggly around my body as I pad quietly toward the main deck. My heart is in a bitter dispute with my mind as I try to focus on what needs to be done. Thankfully, the tea has soothed my nerves enough to keep my heartbeat at a steady pace. I seriously doubt an anxiety attack would help me right now.

Here I am…standing at the bridge of the ship. Carefully, I walk toward the pilot's seat and sit down. At this point, I just don't care if he knows that I've been here. I have to find out what's been going on. I gaze over the large panel of lights and screens, and find myself focusing on a particular blue screen with a strange keypad beneath it. Must be the ship's main computer.

I look over the panel and type in, 'Captain's Log.' Pressing enter the screen goes fuzzy and then rights itself, with the word, 'Password' flashing before my eyes. I take a deep breath and try to think of what he could possibly use as a password. A flicker of a thought, faint in its movement through the chaos of my brain catches my attention. Going by my intuition I type in the last thing I would ever think to use. I type in my name. And as though the gods themselves have smiled down upon me, the screen reveals the words, 'Access Granted.'

Then a still picture of his face fills the screen and I hear his voice. "Damien J. Riddick."

I look over the screen and notice there are about five logs in a row, going back to three months ago. I see a choice that reads, 'play all'. So I click on it and sit back as his voice begins to fill my ears as it dances away from the computer.

Captain's Log, three days out.  
It hasn't been easy, but I found the bastard. If wasn't for the tip I got from Johns a few weeks ago I would have never found him. Good ole Johns. Lowlife Merc. He's in it for the payday, the glory. Stupid fuck has no honor. But me? Heh… I'm in it for my own personal reasons. It's been interesting… People mistaking me for Richard, trying to cash in on me. Bad for them…fun for me. Never thought killing could feel so…good. So rewarding. You see, my twin doesn't have the appreciation I have for taking a human life. That bittersweet moment when I'm watching the blood run free from someone's body. Enjoying their suffering as they die. It's almost the same satisfaction as a good fuck. Speaking of a good fuck, I've also been getting these weird dreams. Where I'm in the background, watching. They ain't mine, they're Richard's dreams. Never knew what a fuckin' pussy he really is.

In these dreams, he's connecting with some woman. Don't get me wrong, he shares the same taste I do. And damn what a delicious piece of ass she is. Think her name is Onyx by the way he keeps talking to her like he's in love or something. Now ain't that some funny shit? My older twin of three minutes, Mr. Merc killin' bad ass himself… Has got it bad for some dream girl. Hmmm makes me wonder…is she real?

The transmission ends and goes to the next log. And as it does, I remain in a dead expression. I don't want to think, I want to just ingest as much as I can.

**One Month out.  
So I've found him, got'em when he wasn't paying attention. Had to use Johns as bait. That was fun. Poor little Richard didn't expect to see me. Hell, I doubt he ever knew I existed. Well he does now. And the fun part about this is… I high jacked this beautiful ship. Transferred my previous log into the computer and swiped his files from the hard drive. It's all mine now. Just as it should be.**

I swallow the lump that forms in the back of my throat as it goes to the third log.

**One Month and two weeks out.  
Guess that dream girl really exists… And the more I know about her, the more I'm thinking… She WILL be mine. Not his. He doesn't fucking deserve her. I know how much it'll kill him to know that I'm going to be the one to fly through that wormhole. That I'll be the one she wants. She won't know the difference…we are Identical after all.**

I feel the bile rise in the back of my throat as it goes to the fourth log. Just two more to go and I'll finally have all the questions answered…

**Two Months and four days out.  
Got passed the wormhole, easier then I thought. I put Johns in a small escape pod to land on Earth right after I do. So this plan will run smoothly. Don't want any mistakes. And seeing as I'm going to keep the prize, I put my Shiv happy twin in a room at the far end of the ship. He's strapped in nice and tight. Didn't have a bit for him this time. Personally I don't like'em myself. Guess there's a little compassion in me after all. Or maybe I just want to hear him scream when I land to pick her up. Ain't it just sweet? She's going to think I'm him, the man of her dreams. Onyx won't have a fucking clue. How can she? We're completely identical. Well…except for the fact I'm the Psycho killer. He's not. He's actually just been fucked over and I've been the lucky one. Hell, I've even landed a high paying job in Bounty Hunting. Make Johns look like a little kid playin' with his sack for the first time. Talk about Irony.**

I almost feel as though I'm going to be physically sick as the last log appears. I'm almost afraid to know what he's going to say now…

Three Months out. I've done it. I've Made Contact.  
She's here now…and things have become, complicated. At first, the whole reason behind this trip was to make Richard suffer. To take everything he has and make it mine. But now… I'm gettin' a little jaded. I almost feel sorry for her. I…hate to say this. But I think I'm falling for her. Me, crazy Damien who gets off on killing anyone I come into contact with… And she's gettin' to me. There's a few times I feel like she's just in love with the idea. That she's not really in love with me…but Him. Fucking bastard has some kind of hold over her. I can feel it. They share some kind of mental link. And you'd think being twins would give us that ability. Nope. I'm cut off from him. Well, except for the dreams. Richard on the other hand, knows every little thing I do…now that we're in the same facility. Oh and you wouldn't believe how pissed he got when he knew I was fucking his precious Onyx. I bet it really burns his balls that I got to be the first one to sink my dick into that tight pussy. Well…seeing as I'm taking her back with us while Johns is nice and chained in the cargo hold… Heh this is going to be fun.

I think, before I get too caught up in this act I'm playin'… I'm going to take her to Richard and make him watch as I fuck her. I'll miss her sure, but I can't tell you the kind of gratification it'll give me when I fuck her until she screams for me to stop. And I won't stop. I'm going to make her scream out to Him, make her beg him to save her as I make her bleed. I'll make damned sure they face each other so he can get the full effect. Damn…forcing her down on her hands knees, breaking her right in front of him… Hell, maybe just to add to the fun I'll let Johns have a try at her. Let him have sloppy seconds. I don't want to touch that after he gets done with her. She'll be useless to me then. When he's finished I'll put my hand over her nose and mouth…and just let her struggle…let her suffocate. And laugh as Richard watches her life slip away. Damn… Makes me hot just thinkin' about it.

I shut it off. I can't look at the screen. I swallow down my disgust and stand up on shaky legs. My knees feel like jelly, that at any moment I'll just collapse. But I don't…I can't. In my state of shock I go back into the corridor. My feet are dragging along the deck as I move like some poor lost soul in the bowels of an abandoned cemetery. I can hear the snoring echoing off the walls as I enter the kitchen. In a trance I grab my stuffed Panther, pull the shirt up exposing its belly, and begin to unfasten the safety pins. I slip my shaking hand into the stuffing and grab the blade, not caring that the sharp edge is slicing into my flesh. Pulling my hand out, I watch the red stream trickle down my arm. It's fascinating to me. That this…substance is the one thing keeping me alive. I wonder if he bleeds the same way I do…

A strange smile stretches my tight lips as I move the blade in my hand to where I'm holding it by the handle now. I can't feel anything as small drops of blood begin to trickle from my clenched fist. I know there's pain, but it doesn't register like it should. It should be burning my nerves right now…but it doesn't. It's…almost soothing. As though reminding me I'm still alive.

I'm moving again, faster this time. I'm already in the bedroom, just looking at this…monster. I watch him in his state of helplessness and wonder if he'd wake up if… I cut him. Would he wake up if I dug this blade deep into his belly? I never thought taking another life would feel so…inviting. I want to…I really do. But he's going to be out for another six, maybe seven hours tops. I think…perhaps, if I were to go and spend some time with Richard… I might be able to turn the tables on him. Yes, turn the tables. This is all because of me… It's my duty to make things right. But why not? Why can't I just carve this shiv through his naked flesh? No…I can't lose it. I'm not in the right state of mind. I can't be thinking about this. I need to be constructive, not destructive. I can't hurt him… No, that would be way to easy. I know something better. Something that's got class to it. I'll just end up watching…yea. Watch him squirm…watch him beg as he bleeds…

**_God damn it Snap Out Of IT!!! _**

I shake my head as I slowly start to snap out of the weird thoughts I was just drowning in. I blink a few times and realize I need to get dressed. Very quickly, I slip on a pair of loose black pants, bra and black tank. Feels good against my skin. I hold the shiv as though it's become a part of me and walk out of the room. Knowing that this…Damien, will wake up to one hell of a surprise.

My body moves faster then my brain can register as I find myself at the door on the far side of the ship. Without thinking, I slam my fist into the side panel. The pistons wail and hiss in protest as the door slides back into the frame. I see his eyes through the darkness, waiting, watching as I walk in, slam my left arm into the light switch and Wham! Instant light. Again, the pain doesn't register, and even if it did I'm not functioning correctly at the moment. I don't fucking care. I don't!

Blood continues to drizzle down my arm, leaving a small angry trail of red on the deck as I look around the room for something to pry Richard from his restraints. I feel my skin tingle when my eyes fall on what look like the keys to his chains. Moving at a fast pace, I take no time at all as I grab the odd looking keys and get behind him. I'm not even thinking about the fact that he's watching me in complete silence as I get the restraints unlocked and pull them from the weird clamps on his wrists and ankles. I feel like I'm in a daze as I crouch down in front of him and unlock the clamps from his ankles when his large hand reaches down and gently takes a hold of my right hand.

The vice like grip I have on the shiv catches my attention when he takes the keys from my left hand. I look at my flesh and see my knuckles showing white through the tight skin. It keeps me still for a moment until I see all four clamps lying on the deck in front of me. I don't even know if my brain is working properly when I feel hands on my shoulders, urging me to stand.

Once upright, my eyes are almost hypnotized by the sight of the blade in my hand and the interesting lines of blood sliding down my flesh. "It's so red…" I murmur in my shocked state and feel the heat of his body all around me, suffocating me. "I never thought it could look so…alive."

"Onyx...hand me the shiv." He says in a voice I recognize and suddenly despise. I don't want Damien anywhere near me. I hate the memory of him, the mere thought of him.

"Don't touch me!" I snarl and back up, my eyes still locked onto my fist as I tighten my grip even more, squeezing more blood from the wound on my palm. "I don't want him to touch me…" I'm breaking inside. I can't decipher what's real and what's in my head. Nothing makes sense. I feel like a fish dangling at the end of a hook, waiting for the inevitable.

He steps closer, his energy is different… I understand it. It's real, not false. It makes a strange kind of sense in my moment of madness. I know this sensation. I know who's energy this is. This is Riddick…my Riddick. The Real Thing. Not a vision to calm my mind, not a spark of hope in the darkness. It's him…it's really him… "It's me baby girl, it's Richard."

I'm stunned by the feeling of his voice running through me. I can feel it weave through my nerves, rip through the blind sorrow of my heart. I can Feel again. I'm blinking as pain begins to wrap its claws into my wrist, digging into the palm of my hand. Pulsing as the wound singes with feeling. With life. I can breathe again.

"Riddick?" My voice, so frail in its attempt to remain strong passes my trembling lips as my eyes reach his. I can see the pain there, the connection. I can feel him in me, knowing my secrets, sharing the horrible sense of betrayal swimming through my tortured veins.

I watch him swallow and give me a slow nod in understanding. "Come on, lets get this over with." He urges me with his hands, turning me toward the door. I begin to move and feel the sting in my temples. My head is pounding with a vengeance as we walk quietly down the corridor. With every step we take, the closer we get to the sound of Damien's snoring, my headache worsens. I feel like my skull is on fire and is about explode at any moment when we get to the bedroom door.

"Please…I can't. I can't go near him. Please don't let him…don't let him touch me." I'm sobbing uncontrollably as everything comes crashing down. My mind is completely upside down as he places his hands on my arms, trying to hold me still.

"Here baby girl, let me take this." Riddick says softly and removes the blade from my right hand, revealing the angry wound beneath. I can feel him tense at the sight of it as I bring my hand close to my body, trying to stop the horrible feelings from going through my spine. That horrible feeling of being completely raped. As though I'm this naked little thing with nothing to protect myself from the monsters in the darkness…waiting to eat me alive. "Easy Onyx. Just wait here. I'll be right back." He whispers with a reassuring tone that molds into the chaos of my brain.

He goes to leave when I grab his arm, not caring about the pain slicing through the wound. "Don't let him hurt me…" I stammer in a weak voice and bring my tear stained eyes to his. I can see a terrible rage peering back at me through his luminescent gaze.

"He will **_Never_** touch you again. I give you my word." His voice is the embodiment of death itself, controlled in the chest of my dark avenger.

I just look at him as he slips away into the darkness of the room. I fall back against the wall and slide all the way down to the cold floor. My arms tucked protectively against my chest I hear the snoring stop. Then growling. Then a loud crash.

And finally… Silence.

It feels like an eternity when he's suddenly crouched next to me, his unshaved face peering at me with concern. "You still with me Onyx?" I turn my head and match his gaze. I take a slow, shaky breath and nod. The ability to speak has somehow been taken away from me. "I need to you to get on your feet. Can you do that for me?"

With every ounce of what's left of my sanity I push myself up off the ground and feel my knees buckle. But he's here, catching me before I fall. With a gentle ease, he helps me up until I'm able to balance on my own two feet. My body feels so alien to me right now…as if my brain isn't quite connecting. And as though he's heard my thoughts, he keeps his arm around my waist and begins to walk me back into the room. I feel my skin crawl and start to go rigid, but he's pushing me, just enough to keep me moving. I want to scream, I don't want to see this as a wave of terror rushes through my distorted system.

Somehow, from within the abyss of my soul my voice comes crawling back and out of my throat as I manage to make a pathetic attempt at protest. "I don't want to see him."

"He won't hurt you Onyx. I'm a man of my word."

Sure enough, with the lights at a percentage comfortable for both us… There is the twin named Damien, gagged and hog tied on the bed. My eyes drink in this vision before me with a strange sense of twisted amusement. Damien's left eye is swollen shut as small beads of red trickle down his contorted face. The reason for the blood is the scattered remains of what looks like a coffee cup strewn out along the floor. That must have been the crash I heard. "I didn't like that cup anyway." I say without thinking and watch Damien's sparkling gaze lock onto my face. I can feel the hatred there…

"Richard… What now?" I ask and feel my Riddick bring his nose to the nape of my neck and breathe in my scent, as though it's the first time he's ever been this close to me. And now that I think about it… It is.

"He's going in the cryo-locker that's waiting for him in the cargo hold." Richard says with a deep seeded hatred dancing along his words. "Just until I figure out what I'm going to do with him."

I can't help the terrible evil in my voice as I purr, "how about we just drop his ass off on T2? See how he fairs with the locals."

Richard makes a growling sound somewhere deep in his chest as it vibrates through my spine. "T2? Never heard of it."

I glare sadistically at Damien, my eyes holding the emotion of a cat about to play with its victim. "How about we sit down in the kitchen and I tell you all about it over some Strong Coffee?"

"Now that, sounds like a plan." Richard chimes deep and seductively in my ear causing a soft moan to pass my lips. "And that is a sound I could definitely get used to."

**-End Chapter Twenty-**


	21. Chapter 21:: Inner Struggle

**Onyx's Note::** My my...I've got some hungry readers, don't I? _Giggles_ You make this worthwhile, seriously. With this kind of feedback, how can I resist? How can I possibly NOT submit to your kindness? _Huggles everyone tight, including the lurkers_ And seeing as I live to please..._more evil giggling_ I present to you, the newest installment. Enjoy!

**WARNING  
Drinking any kind of liquid substance while reading this chapter may result in an early death for your keyboard and monitor.**

**::Outside Perspective::**

Onyx felt as though a diesel truck of emotions had made her withering heart into certified road kill. Everything was off, unbalanced. She didn't know if she was doing the right thing. But in a sense…she just didn't care. None of it mattered anymore. Too many things had collided all at once, and her very keen and quick witted mind had suddenly gone silent. It was an old defense mechanism that kept her alive in the past. When tragedy would appear and rear its jaws of suicidal tendencies, her mind would become a force unto itself. It would cage her, mold a tomb of safety around her fragile being and take over with a furious defiance. It would last as long as it was needed and then fade away when she was ready to start over again. But this… The lies, the betrayal, the horrible truth of what that Damien had in store for her… Caused a rift inside her soul. A small line had ripped in the fabric of her spirit…unleashing a part of herself that should **_never_** have been disturbed.

The true Riddick had watched her as she left the bedroom and walked to the kitchen. He could sense at that very moment, she wasn't all there. He made a point to refrain from asking questions until he finished cleaning up the mess his pathetic excuse for a twin had made.

"You enjoy your stay you worthless sack of shit." He growled as he placed Damien in a cryo locker with enough restraints to keep a male elephant from even blinking. If he had it his way, he'd gut the fucker with a spoon and throw his ass out into space. But he had…other plans for good ole Damien.

Now the other guest…Johns. You should've seen his face when Richard B Riddick came walking into the room. That fucking Merc just about shit himself. Riddick wasn't in the mood for him yet, so he just left him there in his chains. Let him sit there knowing that his life had just been signed over to the devil himself.

It had been a long time since he had been able to clean himself, so the next thing on his list was a very hot, and very long shower. He'd clean the stench of Damien from his skin, shave the unwanted growth that was covering his head and face… Dry off and finally, sit down for a nice cup of coffee.

**::Her Perspective::**

I'm a little less tense then earlier. I'm still not quite ok yet. Not after the things I heard, the truth I just so fucking needed to know. The truth hurts, stings like a bitch actually. But I think I'll be ok. I'm a little numb, emotionally speaking, but I'll be ok. Or maybe just telling myself that will help make things easier for me. I don't fucking know right now… The one thing I can think of, that gives me any sense of comfort… Is making a very strong pot of coffee.

Moving around the kitchen I'm not really all here. I know what I'm doing, but I feel…detached. Not quite whole, somewhat off balance. It's the same kind of feeling when you know you're in between sleep and awake. You're conscious of your surroundings, but you don't have full control of your body. Like there's this invisible blanket holding you down, and it's heavy and thick. And all you can do is think. Unmoving, unchanging, trapped. Unable to call out for help and in a sense…not wanting to. Believing you can fight it, break through somehow. Trying with everything you can to battle with sheer will alone to take back what's yours.

I almost feel as though I'm an empty shell at the mercy of the tide. Being pulled into the undertow, dragged into a dark current of unwanted emotions…until I've lost the ability to keep my head above the water. Drowning, suspended…lost.

I'm standing at the counter when the scent of fresh coffee begins to pull me from my thoughts. I'm blinking, trying to remain as alert as possible when I take two clean cups from the cabinet and place them on the counter. That's when I stop. Just these two, insignificant in adamant objects, suddenly bring tears my eyes. I fight them back, choking, coughing as my chest tightens. I make my hands into tight fists and feel a familiar pain tear through the my nerves.

"Fucking damn it." I hear myself snarl when I remember that I still have a nasty wound on my right hand. I sigh and find a clean rag, "good one, you fuckin' dumb-shit. I can't believe I forgot." I think aloud and wrap the rag around my hand, over my palm which has stopped bleeding, and tie it there so it won't just fall off. I continue to talk, or rather, verbally attack myself as I pour myself a fresh cup of steaming coffee. "This is just great! Here I am on a fucking spaceship, which I should have never stepped on in the first place. Arguing with myself, with a bloody hand that won't stop hurting and of course…I'm going to drink some coffee. Oh yea…I'm bread winner. I am grade A prime choice when it comes to the biggest fuck up of all time. And just think… I let this happen. This is all my fault. Heh…eh… I sometimes wonder if I really am insane."

Raising the cup to my lips, the steaming hot coffee inches away from pouring into my mouth I damn near jump out of my skin when I hear his deep voice behind me.

"If you think you're crazy, you're not. Only crazy people think they're sane." He says while walking toward me. I turn in his direction and find myself just…staring at him. He's…different. Nothing like Damien if that makes any sense seeing as they're supposed to be identical. I can see it now… They're not.

Riddick has this glow to his skin, it's faint, but it causes the beautiful, rich color of bronze in his flesh to almost shine under the low lighting of the kitchen. And holy mother of the gods is he ripped! How could I have been so blind? I really need to pay more attention in the future…because oh wow. He's just…ethereal. I'm standing here with the cup just inches away from my mouth and I can't seem to function. Maybe it's the fact that he has no shirt on, his black pants are riding very low on his hips and a towel is draped over his broad shoulders. Fuck I think I'm drooling.

"How long have you been standing there?" I finally ask and take down as much coffee as humanly possible. Maybe the strength of it will knock my brain back into place. Or maybe knock some sense into it. Or just knock it around because I should not be thinking about sex…of any kind. Sometimes I think the gods wanted to play a cruel joke when they molded me into creation. They put way too many hormones in this body. I have the sexual appetite of a teenager with a raging hard on with no idea where to put it. And seeing as I'm female…this is bad. Really bad. Just looking at him is making my inner…unmentionable areas…tingle. I don't feel like being tingly right now… Can't I just not be tingly? Shit he's getting closer, walking slowly…those muscles…so many muscles rippling and moving. Oh I am so fucked. NO! I mean…screwed! Damn it that's not what I…aw forget it.

He's right next to me, leaning against the counter with his hip, facing me with those gorgeous eyes. "Long enough to know how you're coping." His voice, isn't the same as Damien's either. It's darker, richer. Has an almost animalistic texture to it with a hint of sensuality. Definitely the kind of voice to make that evil damned tingling turn into an inferno.

"That's good." I say with a tone that's a mixture between a squeak and a groan. Trust me, it sounds just as weird as the description. Clearing my throat I manage to chug the rest of my coffee, set the empty cup back on the counter and grab the pot. I'm trying to keep some kind of balance in myself as I go to pour the coffee into the cup and feel my wrist give.

Before I can even blurt out anything, he's right here, his paw of a hand magically holding the pot upright. I'm in shock. For one, out of embarrassment, and two? Not a drop spilt. Damn this boy's fast. I didn't even have enough time to think about what was happening when he just moved. And I'm not talkin' like a normal speed. He moved at a speed that didn't register in my eyes. How the fuck did he just do that?

"Careful babe, don't want you to burn yourself." He murmurs in such a low sultry voice I can't even remember if I was about say something. Or if I could speak for that matter. I'm just here, my hand trembling as he refills my cup, then fills his and sets the pot back into its holster. I instinctively bring my hand down onto the counter, trying to stop it from shaking. Funny how I forgot that I was using my Wounded hand to pour my coffee. Yup… Grade **_A_**, Prime choice. And the Winner of the, "Brightest Idea" award goes to…

"What would you like?" He asks in that devilishly seductive voice breaking me from my inner moment of stupidity.

"Pardon?"

A smile sweeps across his lips, "in your coffee. Milk, sugar…a shot of Rum?" His eyes are blinding…in such a beautiful way I'm getting to the point where I almost can't look at him. He is just so different from that bastard that had betrayed both us. Riddick, this Riddick, has a soul.

I take a deep breath and avert my gaze. "I'll have some milk and sugar. That last cup was kind of…"

He cuts me off with a soft chuckle. "Bitter?"

I smile, look into his eyes and then back to the counter. "Yea…I think I made it a bit too strong. Shit tastes like battery acid."

I can feel the amusement radiating off of his exposed skin as he goes over to the small fridge. "Never had the privilege of tasting 'Shit' or 'Battery Acid' before, but I'll take your word for it."

My jaw drops as I just stare at him. Did he just make a witty remark? "Ha ha very funny…smart ass." I chime in response and watch him stop, close the door to the fridge and cant his head to the side.

He's holding the Milk in his hand as he just…stares at me. "Did you just call me a smart ass?"

I think for a second while biting the inside of my bottom lip and retort with. "Yea, I did. Would you rather I called you a dumb ass?" What the hell am I doing? Am I…egging him on? Oh this is really not my day…

He presses his lips together, nods his head and starts sauntering toward me. If this was any other man, there's just No way they could look this incredibly…scary and oh wow…seductive by just walking with milk in his hand. If he were to pose in a milk add, right this very second, it would be the cause of a world wide baby boom… It would be the day that women take over the world and all man go into hiding and become eunuchs for their own safety.

Setting the milk on the counter he slides, and I literally mean SLIDES himself right in front of me. He's so fucking close I swear I'm going to have nightmares about his nipples. I blink with wide eyes and try to look somewhere, ANYWHERE else just so that I don't have this…amazingly sculpted chest of a pure sex god reincarnated burned into the back of my corneas.

Then it's the growl…oh dear mother of all things sane…it's **THE GROWL**. It is unlike anything I've ever heard before. I mean, you'd think I'd know…what a growl sounds like. Oh no, so very wrong and naive I have been. Because this isn't your run of the mill, animal about to devour you growl. This, is an entity in itself. This is the sound of a **God**, no, a **Titan**, peering down over his prey. It's got every hair on every inch of my body standing at attention. Oh how very small I feel this very moment. So…iddy biddy. Maybe I'll just go Poof. No more Onyx… Yea well, it was a nice thought.

I hold my breath and clench my eyes shut when both of those massive arms surround me, each one placed on either side of my body keeping me backed up against the counter. I feel my heart leap up and slam itself into the back of my throat. I try to go back, somehow hoping I can just disappear but it doesn't happen. He's leaning down, his face just a breath away from the right side of my neck. I feel the raw heat of it gliding along the sensitive flesh as he inhales slowly, taking in my scent. My body will betray me…I know it. I have so many pheromones right now I could knock out an entire stadium filled with screaming fans, as well as the football team amidst a windstorm.

He makes another growl, the one that oozes sex by just the sound of it. You'd think I'd suddenly melt and let him have his way with me, but quite the opposite happens.

My body begins to tremble as a cold sweat starts to form a small sheet of fear over my tense skin. I'm suddenly and completely terrified of what he might do to me. I know I'm no where near his match when it comes strength. I'm just a broken shell, waiting for the moment when I'll shatter and turn to dust. I gasp when he suddenly backs away. It's as though a cold wave of air has just swept over the front of my body, replacing the dangerous heat of his presence so close to mine with a feeling of emptiness. I feel a lump of confusion form in the back of my throat. I try to force it down but my mouth is too dry, my craving for coffee becoming somewhat unbearable as I finally look up from beneath my eyelashes.

He's acting like nothing happened as he starts mixing milk and sugar into his cup of coffee. He appears to be normal, but I can sense it hanging in the air like a virus. It's the sensation of guilt, as though he knows he's over stepped some unseen line that I wasn't ready for him to cross. Shit now I feel bad. He didn't do anything wrong… He was just being…well, **Riddick**.

"Would you like me to make your cup for you?" He asks without taking his gaze away from what he's doing.

"Sure…um, need any help?" I try to sound pleasant, even if my body and mind are having a complete bitch fight over who gets to do what next.

Riddick finally looks over at me and smiles. "Just enough Milk to cut back the strength, with a little sugar…right?" I nod in agreement, a small smile dancing on my lips. "Thought so…same way I like it." He muses and starts the ritual all over again with my coffee.

I'm so tired of being this ball of fucked emotions. If I'm going to ever be normal again, I have to make myself do things that may very well terrify me. Like being close to Riddick for instance. It's definitely a new experience, with an entirely different essence to it. But if I ever want to be touched…or even held again without freaking out, I have to be the one to break the tension. I have to be the one to go right up to him, like I'm doing this very second. Sure I feel like my heart is about to launch itself right out of my ribcage like a chest-burster from my favorite horror movie, **_Aliens_**. But sometimes…you have to be strong.

And right now, I'm about to do something _very_ stupid.

"Hey Riddick?" My voice is tender, gentle and innocent as I lay my left hand on his back, right below his shoulder blade. His muscles tense and relax as he stops what he's doing and turns towards me in a slow, drawn out movement. His gaze is questioning but he says nothing as I reach up, take the towel that's resting on either side of his shoulders in each hand and gently tug him toward me. With a final deep needed breath, I look deep into those pools of light.

And before I can even think to stop myself, I swallow my fear and press my lips against his…

Kissing him for the first time.

**-End Chapter Twenty-One-**


	22. Chapter 22:: You Give Me Fever

**Onyx's Note::** Gotta be honest, I've got awesome readers and because of this... I'm posting chap 22 for everyones enjoyment! New Chappy of shexy goodness! I hope you enjoy!

**::Her Perspective::**

There's this wave of emotions, shared, linked, swirling together as though intertwined. I felt it the moment his lips, the most amazingly soft lips…met mine. I can't feel my body and yet every inch of my being is on fire. The ground has suddenly been swept away but I'm still standing. I'm still here as our lips gently part, slowly, painfully. I've never felt this before. I want to breathe but my lungs are choking, contracting as his energy swims through me. My hands have slipped from his shoulders and are now placed on his chest. Such smooth skin for such a dangerous man. My eyes are closed, the sting of his kiss still fresh on my mouth, warm and inviting. I can almost hear the sound of his heartbeat as it matches mine. I feel it beneath the flesh of my hands, pounding, thundering…calling out to me.

His body begins to vibrate as an intense growl slithers up his chest and echoes from his lips. My eyes open and I'm lost when I meet his gaze. I'm silenced by the sheer emotion there. I feel as though I'm being devoured by just his eyes as he focuses into the depths of my soul. His expression matches my own as we stand here, closer then we've ever been before. I can see the confusion, the shock and fear pulsing from those luminescent iris's. He's unsure as to how he should react, what he should say…if he should kiss me again. I'm in the same state of uncertainty, my skin tingling, my soul enflamed with want…with hunger. But I can't let this go any further. It's too soon.

I open my mouth to speak when he nudges his face toward mine, brushing his lips against mine in an up and down motion. Asking for my permission with those incredibly soft lips. I'm breathless, rigid and restrained. But gods I want more. The taste of him, the scent of him, all over me, inside me. Taking over me. I want and I need but… I can't. This kiss, so gentle, so hungry… I feel as though I'm drowning. He nips my top lip in a playful way, teasing me with the most amazing series of half kisses.

But I break away, this time my hands push against his chest, telling him without saying it…that I need to breathe. "Wait…" I say in an echo of what was once my voice and feel his hot breath, sweep over my mouth in short controlled bursts. "I'm…"

Then a finger, places itself on my lips and I'm forced to look into his mercury filled gaze. "It's ok Onyx." Riddick whispers in a voice that causes every nerve ending to scream out with electricity. If I had been holding Christmas lights when his words entered my ears, every little bulb would explode. I'm not kidding. Just his voice…is a powerful being all on its own. Enough power that I'm sweating in places I didn't even know Had sweat glands. No wonder the thought of a cold shower seems inviting…

"You don't have to say anything…I know." He says while replacing his index finger with his thumb, gently brushing it along the curve of my lips. I swallow hard, close my eyes and try to get my heart to slow down. "I'm actually a little surprised you kissed me… Didn't think you wanted me to touch you after…"

I nod as his words trail off. "I didn't…but I do." I reply with a soft sigh and bring my eyes to his. "It's all confusing and scary. Knowing what I know now, the truth. Knowing that before…" I feel my throat tighten as I struggle to finish what I'm saying. "…I was a fool. I feel dirty and worthless just thinking about what I let that sick fuck do to me…"

Riddick tenses at the words flowing from my lips. I can feel the anger rising in his blood as he remembers exactly, what Damien did to me. I can feel it as though his thoughts are my own. He's angry with himself, slightly angry with me for not seeing that I was being lied to. Angry that someone had touched me. Angry that he couldn't protect me. Angry that his girl was played by another man. Enraged that he wasn't able to stop Damien from pretending to make love to me.

"You don't have to explain anymore to me angel." He says with a tone that's half rage and half pain. He's trying to control his beast from emerging. It's strange how I can feel this as though we share the same body. I've always been intuitive, but this is different. Everything is different with him…

I let out a loud sigh and narrow my eyes. "Yes I do Richard." I growl and watch him quirk an inquisitive brow. "I know nothing will fix what's happened. Only time… And I want you to know, that from now on, I want this to develop. I don't want us to just…bump monkeys."

The look on his face just shows how incredibly silly I sound. "Bump Monkeys?" He repeats in an amused tone and cants his head to the side, reminding me of a puppy with a giant question mark hanging over his head. "Do I even need to ask what that means?"

"It's a term. You know, bump monkeys as in…"

"Have sex?" He says with both brows raised in that infamous Riddick smirk.

"Yes that's exactly what I mean."

"So you're sayin' you don't want to have sex?"

"No, I don't want us to have sex just yet."

"So, not right now?" Riddick says while licking his full lips in a very slow and sensual way. "You sure?"

I ignore my tingling unmentionables and grumble. "You really are a smart ass, you know that? It's not like this is an easy subject for me…"

He cuts me off, causing me to squeak in surprise as he spins me around and has me pinned up against the counter. _Oh damn…shit… Oh shit!_

"Is it? You don't seem like the kind of woman to be afraid of something so…" I swear if his voice gets any huskier I'm going to morph into a drooling schoolgirl caught peeking in on the boys locker room. "Natural."

I make a face that can only be described as an attempt to look angry. "I'm not afraid of sex… I just have moments of modesty."

"Really?" He presses his body against mine and very lightly, grinds his hips against me. "So this wouldn't be modest of me?"

"You're an ass." I snap out between my tense jaws while he narrows his eyes with a devilish smile spreading along the valley of his full lips.

"First I'm a smart ass, and now I'm just an ass."

I can't stop myself. "And pretty soon you'll be an asshole if you don't stop…"

His face is directly in front of mine and I find myself biting my bottom lip. "Stop what?" The tone of his growling voice turns my blood into a liquid fire. Riddick knows I'm in no way immune to the depth and sheer power of his amazing voice. I guess you can say, it's my kryptonite. _Evil…sexy bald bastard._

"Fine…whatever." I snap and push hard against him, thinking that like any other guy, he'll get the point and move out of my way. But Nope! If anything he finds it an invitation and wraps both beautifully sculpted arms around my waist, lifts me up and sets my ass on top of the counter. I'm blinking…stunned…and can't think of anything to say.

"You know, not many women have been able to get away with talking to me like that. They'd usually just submit without so much as trying to fight. But you? You've got a comeback for everything I dish out. Not only does that take balls, but it also means that your quick on your feet." Riddick searches my eyes with that stoic expression on his face. The one where you know he's hiding himself from you, just to see how you'll react. Just to work your nerves. Get a rise out of you. "I admire that in a woman."

"As much as I appreciate your compliment and I do, I'd really like to get down now." I retort, acting annoyed. Well mostly because my body wants one thing and I personally just want a shower. _A very cold shower._

Riddick doesn't budge. Instead he grows an evil smile that tells me I have my work cut out for me. "Not until you say the magic word."

I roll my eyes. "Hocus Pocus." He glares at me with an unimpressed look. "What? You said I had to say the magic word…"

"You're just makin' this harder on yourself."

_The only thing that's hard right now is you…in all the right places…damn it woman! Pull your brain out of the gutter!_ "Please move."

"Excuse me? Please move what…exactly?"

I can feel the irritation before it starts to boil my blood. "Please move Riddick." I say as controlled as possible but the look in his eyes and the curve in his smile… _I'm so screwed._

"Move where? Here?" He purrs and manages to push my legs apart with his hips, takes a hold of my thighs and pulls me against him._ Oh boy…I shouldn't be feeling that. Hey! Was that a twitch? Oh gods…_ "Is this where you want me?"

My heart is pounding so hard I can feel it rattling my brain. "You have no idea where I want you…" I slap my hand to my mouth and feel my flesh sting with embarrassment. "I didn't just say that."

He lets out an evil laugh and nods his head. "Oh you most certainly did."

"I..I didn't mean to say that!" I exclaim in my defense as my pride implodes. "You! You're just working my nerves so I'll just…say and do stupid things. Well, I'm sorry Mr., but it doesn't work that way!"

"Hey I didn't do anything." He counters with a mischievous sparkle in his shimmering eyes, his Hard body pressing against my weakness. "It's all you baby."

"Richard B Riddick you are just…evil!"

His head falls back as he lets out a full bellied laugh. "I'm evil?" He says and brings his face very close to mine, making my personal bubble become a distant memory. "Baby you have no idea how evil I can be."

_Price check on prune juice bob! Price check on prune juice…_ My brain says as I try to regain what little dignity I have left. "Be evil, whatever. Would you just fucking move your sexy ass so I can breathe?" _Oh wait…did I just say that? Oh…damn it all to hell._

"Smart ass, then ass and now sexy ass. Woman, you kill me." Riddick muses with a chuckle and becomes…softer. His expression intense as though he's fighting some battle over his heart and mind.

There's just silence as he looks into my eyes. I'm not quite sure whether I should look away or just stare him down. This isn't the kind of silence I want right now…it's unsettling and unnerving. You know what sucks? There's no background music…which, would either make this easier or worse then it already is. That's all I'd need…is to hear Barry White's booming voice in the background like a really bad porno movie. _Oh gods I don't need to be thinking about sex…_

"Who's Barry White?" Riddick asks suddenly and I give him a bewildered look.

"He's…wait, I didn't say anything." I say softly and look at him as though he's grown another head… _No not that…eh never mind._

"I heard Barry White."

I shake my head and put my hand to my forehead. "No, I thought of Barry White. I didn't actually say it."

"Oh…" His voice trails off as he thinks about my previous statement. "You're positive you didn't say it, just now?"

I nod my head slowly. "Yes Riddick, I'm very positive."

"Huh…how interesting." He chimes in a thoughtful growl and just…looks at me. He's standing here, pressed up against parts of my body that should not be anywhere near his…body parts, and has this funny look on his face. As though he's contemplating whether or not he wants steak or **me** for dinner.

I sense something strange… It's almost as though I hear him say it as clear as day. Taken back by this revelation I ask, "you want to do **what** to me??"

He blinks and furrows his brow questionably. "I didn't say anything."

"I know, you fucking thought it!" I blurt out with more excitement in my voice then I meant to. "You just said, without saying, that you wanted to…" I break in mid sentence and clear my throat, my face probably turning several shades of red. "…wanted to do…you know…stuff…to me." _That's just great Onyx…you sound like a blubbering idiot with the IQ of a grape fruit._

I'm suddenly brought to silence by the most beautiful sight… His intense features mold into the most enchanting smile I have ever seen. It's the kind of smile that would make the heavens weep at the sheer magnificence of it. Cause a painter to look on in wonder at the essence of it… The pureness of it. I'm speechless.

"Onyx…let's be honest." His voice, travels in a seductive wave of hidden sexual undertones to me ears. Causing my breathing to quicken, my heart to shutter and my knees to go weak. Leaning in, his mouth brushing back and forth against mine as his growling voice of a god ripples through every crevice of my mind until I can't think or see, or even feel anything but him. "We're both consenting adults. We're both pent up and need some…exercise. I don't know about you baby…but I sure could use some help with something."

I'm forcing myself NOT to pant at this point as I squeak, "…uh…help with what, exactly?"

"Aw come on…don't tell me you can't feel it?" He growls in a voice so utterly rich and husky I can feel it dancing down my spine. "Come on Onyx, admit it. You know you want to."

"I…oh Jesus." I announce in surprise as he grinds himself against me AGAIN and causes every nerve to spark to life. "I uh…I need a shower."

There's a long pause as he watches me closely, trying to read my face. "A shower?"

I nod at a break neck speed. Hell I'm surprised I didn't just give myself whiplash from hell. "Yes Riddick, a Shower."

And like that, he backs up and motions for me to take my leave. "By all means, go take your shower."

Glaring at him suspiciously I slide off of the counter and start making my way out of the kitchen, never taking my eyes off of him. "Thanks…" I say softly and walk into the corridor, damn near drop to my knees from lack of oxygen when I hear his devastatingly deep, baritone voice.

"You better get your ass in that shower before I decide to change my mind!"

I'm already running at full speed toward the bathroom…I don't need to hear him twice.

**-End Chapter Twenty-Two-**


	23. Chapter 23:: Heart of a Beast

**Onyx's Note::** Damn...your feedback gives me this intense drive to continue forward. I'm mostly exhausted by the end of each chapter because I literally pull emotions out of myself and try to work them into the appropriate scenes. So for you, shexies of gooey doomness, I present the next installment with stupid smile on my face! Do enjoy!

**::Outside Perspective::**

She moved quickly into the bedroom, ripped the clothes off her back, went into the adjoining bathroom and slammed the door behind her. Venomous thoughts of detached words slithered menacingly through her mind as her emotions fought her soul with a mindless abandon. Exhausted, the word itself holding more meaning to her at the moment then anything else as she started the shower and watched the water spray out from the shower head. It was an odd sensation, the feeling of being separated by two very different internal personalities. Feeling their bitter war over her soul as the water continued to fall toward the bottom of the stall, her mind suddenly understanding the turbulence of her higher self, looking down at the chaos as it swirls like the water down the drain. Why couldn't her thoughts flush away these horrid emotions that plagued her and kept her spirit in a sense of distortion?

"I just need to stop thinking." She said to herself in a tired voice and stepped into the shower stall, closing the door behind her. It wasn't that she felt filthy with dirt and sweat, she just needed reassurance from the one thing that still gave her a familiar sense of comfort in a world she was not ready to face. The water steaming, seeming inviting, beckoning her with a promise of rejuvenation. Onyx stepped under the liquid heat and felt the tension that cramped every muscle throughout her tired form sigh with relief.

Placing both hands flat against the smooth surface of the wall, she bent her head forward, allowing herself to become completely immersed under the blissful warmth she so longed to feel. It was something she needed desperately, as though her body had begged for the shower. Somewhere within the hidden depths of her tortured being, she understood this need without question. She was a creature of water, consumed by it, made of the pure essence of it, bled mournful tears of it… She could never be too far from her primal essence. The very thing that could create life as well as wash it away. As these thoughts weaved passed old memories she began to realize how truly homesick she really was. The sense of not knowing, being held in a confused web of secrets, Onyx felt as though she was a victim of her own demise. Trapped in a dimension that held no answers, only more jumbled secrets that inevitably would become more unneeded questions. She just wanted some kind of a peace in a world not her own.

The sound of rushing water, overpowering her thoughts, leaving her in a feeling of peace, she began to unwind the tension that welled up in tangled knots in her soul. But as she stood there, alone…finally alone, her heart let out a mournful wail, like that of a lone wolf taken away from its pack.

Unable to hold up a resistance to her emotions, she became consumed by them, utterly broken and crushed into submission. Pain trickled and stung every vein, every tendon until she felt as though her muscles would become engulfed in the flames of despair. Tears, the one thing she loathed more then pain itself, began to sting her eyes until she had no will left to fight. "I don't want this anymore…" Her voice had taken on such an unfamiliar tone as she bawled her right hand into a fist and slammed it hard against the wall. A slice of angery energy ripped through her palm causing her to let out a hiss. The bandage she had made with a rag from the kitchen was completely soaked through. "Great…" Onyx snarled and tore the cloth from her flesh and tossed it behind her, letting it slap wetly against the floor.

Irritated by the fact that her sadness had gotten the better of her, she shut off the water and stepped out of the shower. There was no use in fighting the way her heart was aching. There was no way she could ease back the pain, the feeling of worthlessness. She was angry and stubborn and was at the point where she was completely finished with herself. Pissed would be a better word for it.

Dripping wet from head to toe, she wrapped a large towel around her curves, snarled something under her breath at how much she hated her fat ass and proceeded back into the bedroom. Mind warped and tainted with a growing rage she stomped hard against the floor and went to find something clean to put on. Swimming in thoughts, drowning in a silent animalistic rage, she found what she was looking for and began to dress herself.

Little did she know that Riddick was peering in from the corridor, as though he were a fly on the wall observing some magnificent creature for the first time. In sense, this was very true. He hadn't been able to watch her since the moment she came and unleashed him from his chains. For someone so beautiful she acted as though she was uglier then sin. Of course this was far from the truth. Riddick felt something as he watched her in his hidden sanctuary. Her back was facing him as she began dressing, all the while still covered by that damned towel. Even though she thought she was alone, she still kept herself physically hidden. Riddick could sense the walls she was rebuilding around herself, keeping herself so pent up and caged that pretty soon he knew she would snap. And for some reason…he had a feeling that when she finally broke that thin line of rage and insanity… She would make butcher bay looking like a fucking picnic.

He had to dip back into the shadows when she turned her body to the right, where he could only see her profile. She had an intense look on her feline features. It was a look he had never seen before. Onyx's energy sent threatening waves in all directions, as though silently warning others of her presence. Her eyes studied the air in front of her as she listened for anything out of the ordinary. Any movement at this point would catch her attention, so Riddick kept as still as death itself. He was curious to see how keen her senses really were. Watch and see if she was really the woman he had always dreamed of.

She looked down, her eyes weary, and turned her back to the door. He watched as she pulled a pair of loose fitting slate gray pants up her muscular legs, large but undoubtedly powerful thighs and then disappeared under the towel where she pulled them up and over her ass. Damn…he really wanted to see that ass in all its plump, perfectly round glory. Girl had an ass he could touch, rub and admire for days. Suddenly his thoughts were cut short when she ditched the towel, revealing her small waist and smooth back.

Surprisingly, even under those womanly curves with just the right amount of extra padding, she had an amazing frame that nearly caused him to break his silence as his breath caught in the back of his throat. She was the reincarnation of a goddess. Those small feet and ankles, well crafted legs, shapely thighs and man…that ass. The way her waist dipped and began to rise in a beautiful V shape that became her back. The muscles just beneath the cream colored skin that moved and danced in a feminine matter of grace and strength as she slipped on a black bra, clasping it in place with her small hands. Riddick was awestruck at the pure beauty of her classic hourglass figure. She held the right amount of curves with what seemed to be many well crafted muscles hidden just beneath the surface of her flesh.

Riddick mouthed the words without spilling a sound. _"Beautiful…"_

But had to quickly take his leave when she finished dressing and was beginning to advance in his direction. With the deadly grace of a predator on the prowl, he made his way back into the kitchen and sat down at the small table. Hands placed upon the smooth surface, his body seeming relaxed as though he had been sitting there the whole time…he waited.

"You know it's rude to watch people when they get dressed." Her voice was suddenly behind him, almost shocking him that she was so silent in her approach. For Riddick, that was a First. No man, woman or beast had EVER come up from behind him without him knowing in advance.

Onyx sauntered over to the table as he brought his eyes to her body. Her hips swayed in a seductive motion not unlike a female panther walking along a high branch in some forbidden jungle. She knew his primitive side…would have no defenses against her female prowess. No matter how controlled he was.

"What?" She asked in a playful tone as she sat down next to him, her eyes holding a sense of darkness that weaved through her focused pupils. "Never knew someone could be as silent as you?"

"Don't be so sure of yourself kitten. You only think you caught me off guard." He replied in a smooth voice and gave her a dance of his brows. "I could smell you coming from down the corridor."

She studied his face with a dark intensity but refrained from speaking more on the subject. Onyx knew that she had one-upped him this time…but it would be the last time. Riddick wasn't the kind of man to let something like that happen again. He was a very dangerous, intelligent, calculating creature that could adapt to any given situation. And she was damned sure he would be able to know her every move, sound and thought by the end of the day. Which in a sense…intrigued and scared the hell out of her. But hey, it would be one hell of a fun challenge.

"Onyx…gotta question for you." Riddick spoke with a thoughtful tone and clasped his hands together.

"Ask away big guy." She replied and mimicked his action while a curious glint danced behind her eyes.

"Why did you resist me earlier?"

The question threw her mind for a loop. How the hell would she answer that without making it sound like a long and drawn out summary of her fucked up life? Apparently that didn't matter to him as he sat waiting patiently for her to answer.

With a thoughtful sigh, her arched brows furrowed as she put the words together in her brain. "Well, the only way to answer that is simple. I'm as stubborn as a mule and when I make a decision I stick with it, no matter what."

Riddick was impressed, but still had a feeling she wasn't telling him everything. "Understood. But, why do I get the feeling there's more to that then you're letting on?" He paused and watched her eyes flicker with conflict. "Are you afraid that I'll think less of you if you tell me the truth?"

"It's hard to explain…"

He cut her off with a growl of compassion. "Try me."

With a sharp exhale she pulled her arms to her lap and looked into his glowing eyes with a hardened expression on her face. "I'm not ready to be intimate with you yet. Not after what happened. Not after I let myself believe Damien was really you and had my entire world fucked over. I ain't gonna lie to you Richard, I'm afraid of getting close. I don't want to get hurt again. Life is a real bitch and I can either be a victim or a participant. And I'd rather have a say in what happens in my life, take responsibility for my actions rather then place the blame on someone else."

Riddick looked at her as he let her words sink in. His brain worked and toiled as his instincts understood what she was telling him. He was looking at her in a new light. Just by her telling him the truth without beating around the bush, he held her in a higher respect. Onyx had balls alright, and that was an aspect of her personality he found very attractive.

"…and I don't want to hurt you either. Even though…I know I did, without even knowing it at the time." She added and ran a hand through her wet mane of hair that fell in wild waves toward her waist.

His face was blank of expression as he nodded and studied her eyes. "That's behind us now." Riddick said with a hint of restraint in his eerily calm voice. "Don't need to bring it up again."

"Ok then." She replied softly, knowing full well that when he was finished with something, it was already dead and buried. But if she was to know of the future of their current guests, she had to ask questions that would only agitate his beast. "Look, I'm not the kind of person to dwell on shit, but what I need to know is how we're going fix the little problem we have still breathing in the cargo hold?"

They sat in a deadly silence that seemed to last an eternity before he finally spoke up. And it was a voice she never wanted to hear used against her. "I am going to drop them off at the first shit hole I can find. Johns can fuck off, he's not my concern. My real concern is that worthless piece of shit strapped in the cryo locker. What I do to him, is my business. You don't ask questions when it happens. And when it does, it'll happen fast. Keep yourself busy with something, I don't care what. Just don't get involved. I don't want something to happen to you if he gets loose."

The sound of Riddick saying, 'if he gets loose' chilled her to the bone. She didn't even want to think of the terrible things Damien was capable of. Hell she didn't even want to fathom what Riddick was capable of! Because until that very moment, she had never been afraid of him. And out of all the nightmarish things to manifest in her mind, just the sound of his unfamiliar voice made her fear the thought of seeing him 'take care' of his psychotic twin.

His voice softened when he suddenly reached out, took her hand in his, only to set it on the surface of the table with his fingers curling against her much smaller ones. "Onyx, I do not want him to get anywhere near you. So help me, if even thinks about it I'll rip his spine out…" Riddick trailed off, growled somewhere deep within his chest and continued with an edge to his voice. "…you are very special to me. I don't know what I'd do if he somehow got past me and went after you. That's why I need you to lay low when the shit goes down. Understand?"

Onyx gave a nod and squeezed his hand in response. "Affirmative." Was all she could say when his moment of unguarded emotions struck her to the core.

And just like that, his hand was gone and his face was, once again, a mask of secrets. She wasn't shocked by how cool and untouched he became after he had just shown her a side to him that no one would ever be able to see. That must have been incredibly hard for him to do, seeing as he was so closed off from humanity. Onyx felt a sense of gratitude because of that simple glimpse he had allowed her. He had let her see his heart, even if it was brief, and it made her realize how very important he was to her. How much he meant to her…and that if anything ever happened to him, she would become a force the gods themselves would fear…

_She would die for him._

**-End Chapter Twenty-Three-**


	24. Chapter 24:: Release the Animal

**Onyx's Note::** I am so blessed... You all mean so very much to me... _sighs all happily and stuff_ lol I'm such a dork! Oh, YES! Chapter 24! Can I getta Whoot whoot? LOL _Smooches_ Enjoy my shexies!!

**::Her Perspective::**

"How many days 'til we reach the wormhole?" I ask and walk toward the sink where I rinse out my empty cup, all the while trying to fight the feeling of his eyes burning through me. "Riddick?" I say in a softer tone and finally turn my gaze him. He's standing right across from me, looking at me as though I were some sort of enigma that just happened to pop out of nowhere. It's almost unsettling…the way he's peering at me with that emotionless face. Sometimes I wonder if he's really what I should be worried about…

"You ever wonder what it would have been like if you were born in my time?" He asks suddenly, his voice holding a sense of thoughtful curiosity.

I furrow my brow and lean my lower back against the counter, crossing my arms under breast. "Never really thought about it." I reply as my thoughts begin to unravel and tangle within themselves. I really hate it when my mind does this. Talk about a headache waiting to happen. "Why'd you ask?"

He shrugs his shoulders and cracks a small smile. "Curious I suppose. I was wonderin' if you'd be different, attitude and personality wise. Would you be more like me… Or worse off? You know what I mean."

I nod, thinking about it. "I honestly don't know big guy. Probably be the same, or end up worse like you said. But then again, it depends solely on the situations and experiences I'd have to go through. Hell, worst case scenario I'd be dead."

"I highly doubt that." He chimes under his breath and cants his head to the side, watching my eyes for answers to questions that haven't been spoken yet. "I bet, that if you had grown up in my time, perhaps…along side me, you'd be pretty dangerous by now."

I sigh with a smile on my face and shake my head. "I'm not Jack…" As soon as I say the words I know he has no idea what I'm talking about. "What I mean by that is, well… I'm not so sure. Look at me!" I announce and drop my hands to my sides for emphasis, "I'm just a normal woman. There's nothing spectacular about me."

Riddick takes a few steps in my direction and stops about a foot ahead of me. His arms crossed against his beautifully sculpted chest. "With the right training you know… You could be one very lethal, killer."

The thought of me being anything close to a killer just causes me to bark out a laugh. "I'm sorry Riddick, but me? A killer? Now that is funny."

"Why do you doubt yourself?" He asks in a curious tone and searches my eyes. "Seriously, what makes you think you can't cut it?"

I give him a strange look, my brows raised. "Because I can't even hurt a fly let alone another human being." I say in my defense, well honestly anyway and watch his eyes narrow. "I'm not doubting myself I'm just…"

He cuts me off with a smooth voice. "Making excuses."

"No I'm not."

He smirks and puts his hands on his hips. "Yes you are. Onyx, don't play the stupid card with me. You know you've wanted to at least hurt someone once in your life."

His words make a scary kind of sense as I remember wanting to slice up Damien. "Maybe…but it doesn't matter. I have control of myself and I would never permit myself to harm another."

"Unless of course they were a danger to you. Correct?"

Damn him and his logic. "True, but I won't let that happen."

"What if you don't have control over that? Ever think about that? That perhaps, theoretically, say Damien got passed me…and you were alone to fend for yourself. What then?" He pauses for effect and steps closer, watching me very carefully. "If it came to the point where it was either you or him… Would you have it in you to kill him in self defense?"

A hard lump forms in the back of my throat at the thought of having to fight Damien to save my own ass. I hate it when people throw this kind of shit at me… "I don't know…" I say meekly and try to avert my gaze.

But Riddick is right here, hand beneath my chin, bringing my eyes to his. Basically forcing me to face what may be a possibility. "Onyx…Answer me. Would you be able to kill him if he threatened your life?"

"I don't like this conversation…" I'm being honest. I hate talking about things like this. It chills me to the bone. "Hey, let's talk about when we'll get to the wormhole." I try to sway the conversation toward my previous question but know that Riddick is one stubborn son-of-a-bitch. It's like playing Russian roulette with a fully loaded gun. You lose no matter which way you go about it.

"How about you stop avoiding the question." He growls in a low voice and keeps my face directly in eye contact. _Damn it…_

I let out a sigh and just glare at him, not caring if it pisses him off. "Yes Riddick, I would. I would ghost his sorry ass if it came down to it. But of course that would never happen seeing as I'm about as scary as a mouse holding a blade of grass."

He knows how much this bothers me, but he doesn't let up. He keeps pushing…maybe to see if I'll snap or lash out. "You never know what you're capable of until you've been pushed to your limits. You've got to be ready for anything if you want to survive." His voice drifts away as his piercing gaze of untapped power ripples through me. "Especially with me. You have to be able to keep up. There may come a time when I won't be able to protect you and you'll have to take care of yourself."

"Well when the time comes, then I will. No need to dwell on shit that may not even happen." I snarl and try to pull myself away but his grip tightens enough to keep me right where he wants me. I'm starting to wonder if his fantasies involve the kitchen sink… "Riddick, let go. I'm done talking about this."

"That's all well and good princess, but I don't think you're seeing the big picture here."

"What's there to see?" I snap and jerk at his grip, which only causes his hand to clamp down harder on my chin, causing tiny signals of pain to weave through the nerve endings of my face. Now I know he's testing me. And god damn it…it's working. "Riddick let go of me or so help me…"

His face, morphs into an expression of pure evil. The smile curling the edges of his mouth would, at any other time, scare the shit out of me. But right now all it's doing is severely pissing me off. "You're going to do what exactly? You just said it yourself, you can't hurt me. You can't even defend yourself."

_Oh you mother fucker…_

I blink as a red film shrouds my vision. It feels as though every inch of my body is trembling, my blood boiling with some strange liquid fury as my chest begins to rumble with what starts to sound like an actual growl coming from the mouth of one _very_ pissed off jaguar. "Stop it Riddick."

He lets out a dark, placid chuckle, one that causes my skin to crawl by the sheer sound of it. "Make me." His words, like invisible daggers, slice through the sensitive flesh of my soul causing my inner wild to roar out in challenge. Awakening the one thing I'm fighting with everything I am to keep restrained. "Hmm I smell fear…" He drawls out with a husky breath and shoves his nose into the right of my neck, his hot breath flowing against the nape of my neck like a warning of dark intentions. "Might not be able to control myself…"

"Stop it Richard." My voice is troubled, strained and shaky as I clench my eyes shut. I don't want to this. This is just wrong. He's invading my personal space as though he doesn't give two shits about what I'm thinking or feeling. "I mean it…stop."

But he doesn't, he jerks my face harshly, to the left, exposing my throat to him like an alpha wolf would to a weaker pack mate. He's forcing me to submit, humiliating my sense of worth with just his strength. "So firm…so young… So fresh." Riddick snarls and laps at my neck in one long lick. He's trying to get under my skin, trying to get me to react. Baiting me, pushing me, right off the edge. As though I'm dangling on a weak thread of hope that by sheer willpower alone I will be able to resist anything he dishes out. But I'm failing as the thread becomes smaller and smaller with his every breath of hot air flowing against my flesh.

His voice deepens to that level I swore I never wanted to be heard against me. "And so weak…"

When those words leave the valley of his full lips my eyes snap open. No longer restrained by the confines of logic and compassion, the beast comes tearing toward the surface, more then willing for a long overdue fight.

Another growl, holding even more animosity then before, slithers through my clenched jaws as my lips pull back in an expression of anger. Teeth bared, muscles pounding and straining with an energy unfamiliar to me, I bring my arms up between us, flatten my palms on his chest and feel a surge of electricity slam through my veins. Without warning I shove my hands hard against him, using my arms as though they are two battering rams, and watch through my blood engulfed vision as he actually stumbles back, his face holding an expression that can only be described as delighted surprise.

"Well, there we go." Riddick purrs mockingly and begins to loom toward me with a deadly look shimmering within the mercury filled pools of his fierce gaze. "'bout time you did something useful."

Hearing this only makes the anger rage with a vengeance as it courses through my veins with a liquid fire so hot, it nearly singes every inch of my being. "Back off." My voice is a complete oddity to me. It almost sounds inhuman… Animalistic and threatening in a sense. And even if I wanted to, I can't stop it. I'm too pissed to care.

"Well? You just gonna stand there or take me on? Oh wait…you can't. You don't have what it takes."

I let out a nasty hiss and lower my head, my hands clenching into tight fists as I push myself away from the counter. I don't understand what's happening to me and I don't think my brain is even capable of rationalizing any of this right now. All I can think about, is how good it's going to feel when I finally get to wipe that smug look of his face with the edge of my fist.

"I can't do this." I snarl in a voice that's both enraged and desperate. I'm trying so hard to keep myself from this adrenaline, testosterone induced insanity. I can't let him win. I can't.

He starts to laugh, a deep maniacal laugh that mocks me with every wave of it's movement to my ears. I try to shake my head, trying with everything I am to shake it away from me as the anger begins to thicken my blood with an essence of poisonous rage, threatening to consume me with it's overpowering need to rip warm, living flesh.

Ignoring him as best to my ability I try to side step along the counter until I'm behind the table. Of course this only causes him to match my movement as he follows me at the other end, reminding me of a predator selecting his prey with a mere glimpse of his deadly gaze. "I will not do this." I growl, my voice that of a human fighting the primal urge to maim and dominate another creature. "Leave me be."

"Only if you can stop me…kitten." Riddick chimes with a hint of madness trailing along the ends of his words. "Try and stop me…"

I'm frozen for what seems like an eternity as I watch him, tense and ready to pounce, watching me, waiting for that opportune moment in which to strike. I can feel my heart thundering in a dangerous rhythm just within the confines of its tomb of flesh and bone. My breath is erratic, almost as though I'm panting with anticipation of what he might do next. It's terrifying and extremely invigorating at the same time. Waiting for him to make the first move…waiting for that window of opportunity to reveal itself… Waiting for all hell to break loose.

Apparently…I don't have to wait long.

Before I can even blink he's after me, lunging at a speed that pushes the table far from me only to go crashing in a loud metallic clang against the wall. I don't stay rigid, in fact, I'm already moving. Running actually, at full speed toward the door, cutting the corner with a hard jerk of my legs and bolting at top speed down the long corridor. My breath is slamming wildly in and out of my large lungs as every muscle in my body screams out in horrified excitement. I can hear him right on my heels, as though he has every chance in the world to snatch me right out of the air. But he doesn't, which only pushes me to run faster, pressing my body to work harder until every inch of me is crying out to keep as far away from him for as long as physically possible.

If only I anticipated where I was running to…maybe the feeling of his leg dashing out, taking my legs out from under me and sending my face first into the unforgiving deck wouldn't have been such a surprise. Maybe is a long stretch when he suddenly grabs me by the hips, flips me around and pins me beneath him in one graceful movement.

"Checkmate." He growls and glares wildly into my eyes. Looking as though he hadn't even moved an inch. I'm terrified and enraged, unable to move under the grasp of his enormous strength. My chest is heaving, my blood rushing in white hot waves, licking my veins with tendrils of anger induced lightening. I don't know what to do, he's so fucking massive. I feel like I'm about to be devoured as he gives me that sly, madness inducing grin of pure fucking evil.

_I feel helpless…_

"Get angry." He says in that, 'I'm going to make a point to watch you squirm as I gut you' voice. "Use it. Make it yours."

My brain is stunned by his sudden announcement. I just look at him when his voice booms all around me, slamming through my skull like a sonic wave. "**USE IT**!"

Within seconds I feel the surge roar through me. Every inch, every crevice of my body is filled with a fire I have never known. I'm burning, scorching from the inside out as beads of sweat begin to trickle from my tired flesh. I'm panting, heaving, trying to breathe but this heat is so overwhelming I feel as though I'm about to burst into a thousand blue flames. My head falls back, my eyes clench shut as the most desperate soul wrenching wail echoes powerfully from my lungs. I hear it thunder away from me in waves of dark fury, blurring everything that I've come to know out of existence.

When there is no breath left in me, my voice as far away as the world I had come to call home…I gasp, shuttering. And out of the dark silence that seems to hang around my trembling, sweating, pathetic excuse for a body I hear the richest growl of a voice flow through the air, entangling me in a web of pride.

"That's it. There's my girl." Riddick chimes with an air of pride dancing in his voice as I manage to look into his quick silver gaze. A gentle smile takes place of the evil expression he just held as he eases his grip and gently trails his right hand along the left side of my face. Caressing the tortured flesh with a tender touch. "You've just passed with flying colors."

I lick my dry lips and manage to find what's left of my hoarse voice. "Passed what?"

He gives me his infamous Riddick grin and lets out a soft sigh. "You've just unleashed the beast."

"Oh…great…" My head falls back against the deck with a thud, and I let out a sharp exhale. "Does this mean I get a cookie?" I say in an attempt at dry humor and feel as though I've just been hit by a Mack Truck.

"Baby at this point…" I look up at him again and feel his right hand slip behind my head, cradling it. "I'll make you a steak dinner."

"Do I still get my cookie?" I joke softly and feel him wrap me in his massive arms and lift me off the ground, holding me possessively in his arms.

He chuckles and just shakes his head, his eyes openly smiling at me. "Yes Onyx, you can have a cookie." And begins carrying me back to the kitchen.

**-End Chapter Twenty-Four-**


	25. Chapter 25:: Can’t Fight the Feeling

**Onyx's Note::** Your replies alone brighten my day! Now, I have chappy 25 for you and yes...I'm back to my old twisted self again . Also, as you may have already noticed, Riddick is much darker then his psychotic twin. I'm making it more apparent as I continue the story to show that they in fact, are different. Damien was acting, or trying his best, to be like Richard. But of course we all know no one is like our Riddick. Oh and yes...as always, Enjoy!

**::Richard's Perspective::**

Calm, collected, restrained. But for how long? How long can I keep this up? I respect her, more then ever after she's shown me time again that she has an amazing willpower that may very well surpass my own. Strong little wildcat. Damn…my kind of a woman. That's all this has been about from the beginning. All her. I don't place any blame on her for the shit that's happened. If anything…I blame myself. If it wasn't for my thoughtfulness that rat fucked son of a bitch would have never gotten within a hundred feet of her…_alive_. How in the hell was I supposed to know I had a brother? And just to make things even more interesting, a fucking identical twin. It doesn't add up.

I'm not worried about that right now. I can't. Why dwell on the bad shit when I've got everything I need right here in front of me? Doubt she knows it. Then again, she's very quick on the upkeep when it comes to everything around her. She may prove me wrong…

Well I wasn't lying when I said I'd make her a steak dinner. She's sittin' at the table, tearing into that piece of bloody meat as though she hasn't eaten in days. Funny how we share the same tastes. She actually told me she wanted it **_BLOODY_**. I'm not talkin' a little pink either. That piece of meat introduced itself to the flames, got a slight tan and parted ways. I wouldn't be surprised if it tried to run off the plate if she wasn't paying attention.

There's another thing I find a little interesting about her. The way she eats. Onyx literally hovers over her plate the way I've watched inmates do in Slam. You had to, fuckers would just take it from you like it was no sweat off their backs. And she's acting the same way…but she's never been to prison. It's also an animalistic trait, protecting your food. She must have been tortured as a kid. Probably had people around her trying to instigate how she should eat. Hmm… Makes sense about her self worth. She's not thin, and she ain't fat either. She's right in the middle, where a real woman should be. Curves in all the right places with untapped strength just beneath. And an ass…oh Jesus I haven't seen an ass like that in a very **LONG** time. Ok, enough talkin' about her body, it ain't helping my current frustration. Because if I let myself think about every inch of that body…well let's just say I'm going to need a series of very ice cold showers.

"I take it you're not a vegetarian." I muse with a smirk and sit down across from her at the table.

She looks up at me, as though I've just snapped her out of some thought cloud and blinks…her cheeks puffed up, filled with food. "Umm no." Onyx replies in a muffled voice and finishes off the last bite of her steak, ignoring the fact that she has a knife and fork next to her. It's actually kinda cute, how she ate her steak like a squirrel would eat a nut. Both hands close to her face as she munches on the meat… Yea, definitely adorable.

"What Riddick? What's wrong?" She asks catching my attention.

I guess I was just caught gazing at her. "Nothin's wrong baby." I purr softly as I rest my chin on my hands, elbows resting against the table's surface.

She swallows down her food and picks up her plate, rises slowly and starts toward the kitchen sink. As she walks, I can't help but let my eyes fall to that ass. It's swaying and moving in such a way my pants are suddenly becoming very restrictive. I let out a grunt and while her back is turned I make the proper adjustments. Fuckin' penis… Sometimes I wonder if it's just going to detach and attack her seeing as it's been a long time since it's seen any kind of attention.

This situation is a major test for me. For one, I need to get laid and I've got this smokin' hottie on board ship with me. Secondly, I've gotta keep my horny ass in check. I can't overstep any boundaries. As much as it fucking kills me, I've got to keep my dick in my pants. Being around her is bad enough, but now her hormones are fluctuating. I can smell it. She's getting close to her menstrual cycle and with all those pheromones emitting off her body it's going to take more then sheer will to keep me from fully fucking that beast out of her.

It takes a lot for me to start to feel twitchy… I just hope she doesn't make it harder for me.

**::Her Perspective::**

He's watching me, I can feel it. I can't believe I just devoured that steak…without utensils. I just ripped it apart! I don't think anything has ever tasted that good before. Maybe it's my body, needing meat, protein. And no, not liquid protein. I can't think about that. I can't think about what it'll be like when he's fully naked, a certain gleam in his eye and a twitch in his erect cock… Oh Gods I need to stop it! Why the hell…oh. Heh. I'm hormonal.

Wash the plate Onyx. See? Running water, soap, clean plate. Now rinse the plate. Turn water off. Set plate down to dry. Simple. Nothing complicated about that. Nothing involving sex. Nope… Nothing about water to remind me of sex. Nothing about wet, hot bronze skin rippling with muscles, pulsing, hot, throbbing…thick.

"**Damn IT**!" I yell out in frustration and look around, realizing I just blurted that out with Riddick watching me. _God damn it…_

"Everything ok kitten?" Riddick asks as he stands up, I can hear him moving quietly across the deck toward me.

_No, bad idea big guy. Don't get close to me. My hormones will attack you._ "I'm fine." I lie in a pleasant tone and keep myself facing away from him. I can't look at him. Not when he's still shirtless…not when all of those muscles under a landscape of gorgeous skin is just there for me to tear my nails across… _Shit Onyx Stop It!!_

_Oh shit he's behind me! Why does he have to be behind me? Why can I feel his energy? God damn it why is he's so fucking sexy?? This is beyond torture…_ "You sure everything's ok?" He says in the richest of voices, it slithers through me, intoxicates my senses, sends tendrils of excitement throughout my spine. Making this ten times harder then it already is. "Onyx?" His hands are suddenly cupping my upper arms, his breath is just close enough to where I can feel it gliding across the back of my neck as though my flesh is being licked by the seducing flames of hell itself.

"I'm five by five Riddick." I say quickly, perhaps too quickly and try to maneuver myself away from him, my eyes still focused on anything NON-Riddick at the moment.

Amazingly he lets me slip away, but knowing how that predatory brain works he's going to make it a point to find out why I'm acting so odd. And sure enough, as I get to the coffee maker, which has fresh coffee in it, I hear his voice crash over me in a commanding tone that's laced with a hint of animalistic desire.

"You're full of shit Onyx. Something is bothering you and you know you can't keep it from me."

Nonchalantly I fill my cup, add the requirements to soften the strength of the potent caffeine rich liquid and take a well deserved gulp. It hits my stomach in a welcomed wave of heat. I let out a sigh and set the cup on the counter, my hands cupping its smooth surface as the fingers of my right hand clutch the handle. My back still facing him I finally say, "sometimes I have thoughts, end up barking and I'm fine." I reply in a matter of fact tone and bring the cup to my lips. Before I take another drink I add. "I'm just PMSing Riddick. And that alone gives me the excuse to act weird."

He gets it, but he won't let it go. For that matter, does he ever let up? Is it his mission in life to drive me to a breaking point? Does he have any idea how dangerous Normal women are when they're PMSing? And since I'm **not** like normal women…he really does have a death wish.

"Again, bullshit excuse." He grumbles dryly and walks up behind me, invading my little bubble of personal space. At this point, the bubble I currently call my web of protection, looks like it's been chewed up and spit out by a Tyrannosaurus Rex. He's not going to pop it, it's just going to deflate. "I understand the whole keeping yourself guarded, but perhaps letting me in isn't a bad idea. Especially if you want to build up trust between us, you're going to have to let me in at some point. I'm a Man baby, not a mind reader. Do me a favor and don't play the typical female card, expecting me to know what's wrong when you keep shutting me out."

"I'm not trying to push you away big guy."

His voice is closer, lower, writhing with small trickles of anger in every word. "Then turn around, look me in the eyes and fucking talk to me."

"I can't look at you right now." I say softly and hope this doesn't piss him off more.

"Why not?" He retorts with the heat of his breath washing over my back, causing the fine hairs along my spine to tickle and stand in unison. "I know I'm ugly, but I'm not that hideous."

My body spins, arms held tightly against my chest as I look him square in the eyes. "You are in no way hideous Richard. I **NEVER** want to hear you talk badly about yourself like that again, you hear me?" The anger in my voice and the power behind it shocks even me…

He eyes me carefully, observing my body posture and smirks. "Damn, you moved really fast. If I had known you'd react so quickly I would have made fun of myself awhile ago."

I narrow my eyes and drop my hands to my sides. "You asshole." I hiss between clenched teeth, angry at the fact that he just baited me into getting my attention. "You're a real piece of work you know that?" I snap under my breath, turn my back to him and pick up my coffee. As I bring it to my lips to take another drink his face is suddenly at the left side of my neck, freezing me in place.

"Trying to block me out won't work. You can keep up your walls for as long as you think you can, because baby… As much as I love a good challenge, I'll find a way through. I always do. I'll make it my mission to pierce through that armor of yours, and find your weakness." His voice trails off as his head moves to the right side of my neck, his voice bleeding through my system like a venomous snake. "I'll dig so deep you'll have no other choice then to just give in. To submit to me. Come on princess, you know you want to…"

"Your little mind fuck isn't going to work on me Riddick." I snap back, cutting him off with a voice as calm as ice. "In fact, you can say whatever you want to try and get a rise out of me. But what you don't seem to get through your thick fucking scull is that I've got a lot of patience, and a lot of control." I take down the rest of my coffee, set the cup down on the counter and turn my body so that I'm facing him. "So go ahead, bait me. Try and piss me off. It won't work. In fact, it's just annoying."

"If I'm just annoying then why are you getting angry?" He says in a cocky growl and has his face right in front of mine. "You stink of it."

I don't flinch, I remain calm. What he doesn't seem to understand, is that when I am truly angry, I become very quiet. As far back as I can remember, people have always told me to avoid people who were quiet when they were angry because they were dangerous. Heh…little did they know… They were warning the wrong person.

"How much time until we hit the wormhole?" I ask blatantly, cutting off the entire subject altogether as if his opinions mean jack shit to me.

Riddick studies my face, the solemn expression looking back at him, restrained, cold. He seems to be calculating, unmoving as he watches me. He knows there are things about me no one has ever seen. Things that may very backfire on him if he gets too careless. I can almost sense him understanding that pushing me any further will have severe consequences. I also sense his mind trying to probe me, trying to get a glimpse of what's going on behind my guarded gaze. He can sense me, sensing him. There's a flicker of understanding in our locked vision when we suddenly share a single thought.

**_Let it be…for now._**

"Last I checked, we have about two days and fourteen hours until we reach the area of the rip." Riddick says and doesn't stand back, instead he remains right in front of me, his body challenging me. I can smell it suddenly. Thick, exotic, stinging the back of my throat almost causing my mouth to go dry. It's a hot, humid, musky scent that triggers different parts of my body in reaction.

_Oh fucking great…this is just great._

I suck in a short breath, trying to play off the fact that I was just sniffing the air like an animal. But I can taste it, lingering over my tongue like honey. His body is sending off chemicals, enticing my senses, awakening my internal workings on a deep, primitive level. I shouldn't be able to smell it on him, I should just be oblivious like everyone else. But no, of course not. The gods made a point to make me _different_. More animal then human, more in touch with my wild side… Making me predatory, instinctive, driven by primal needs. More like Him. If I thought PMS was hard enough before, this just makes it a whole lot worse. _Evil fucking primal instinct trying to get us to breed…fucking nature._

"Good." I say finally as my voice betrays me. I wanted to seem calm just now, but no, instead my voice slipped away from me in a seductive purr. I clear my throat and give him a look. "Excuse me Riddick, I need to get another cup."

Unmoving, hard as stone, staring at me with those eyes that will haunt me until the end of time. I want to push him away, shove him hard in the chest, get him away from me. I don't want to be this close to him, not right now. Definitely not a good idea at the moment. The more space between us, the less I breathe him in, the less my hormones will elevate. Which will make it less likely that something will happen between us. _No touchy, bad touchy. Bad sexual induced insanity._

I gently, carefully, press against him with my right shoulder as I turn on the ball of my foot, trying to tell him in a very nice, pleasant manner that I want to move passed him. He doesn't budge, but lets me squeeze passed him so I can have my space. Jesus I don't know what goes through that head of his, sometimes I wonder if he ever stops thinking. I know he's getting…excited. His posture is different, hell even his usually completely controlled breathing has changed, even if it's just slightly, it's become a little more intense. It's the same way a male Jaguar gets when he smells a female. His breathing changes, his mouth opens, panting, gets a shimmer of hunger in his eyes. Yea…he's got that aura about him right now. I can't see aura's like some people, but I can feel it. And if it had a color, I'd bet it's a blinding emerald green right about now.

This is too fucking much. He's too damned quiet. It's bugging me. I have to say something before my brain implodes. "Two days isn't bad. But what should I expect when we do hit the wormhole?" I ask while getting another cup of coffee, keeping my eyes away from him. "As in, the shakes, tremors, my brain popping?"

He growls, a deep vibrating sound that's literally saturated with sex. "It's the same feeling as being dropped. You'll experience weightlessness, a sense of distortion, and by the time you realize this is happening we'll be on the other side. Takes about ten seconds altogether."

Hearing this, a strange thought enters the web of my brain and causes the very blood within my veins to run cold. I take in an unsteady breath, cup in hand and turn toward him. "What if, theoretically speaking… We're not spit out right where you left? I don't know much about wormholes, but from what I've gathered from movies and science journals is that wormholes are random occurrences… What if we get dropped into another universe, say a different dimension?"

He considers this as a thoughtful crease forms above his brow. "It's a probability, but I highly doubt it."

"Forgive me if I'm wrong, but what if we do end up somewhere else? Doesn't that probability alone make you uneasy?" I ask and feel my instincts kicking into high gear. I have a bad feeling…and with bad feelings, come bad outcomes. Fucking spot on intuition. "There are millions of possible outcomes and I'm not too keen on the thought of being dropped off in what could possibly be some sort of hell dimension."

Riddick quirks an inquisitive brow at my statement. "You watch too many movies babe. I honestly doubt that we'll be thrown into a hell dimension." He pauses and grows a more intense look to his eyes, as if he senses something's off about me. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

I sigh and just fess up, this is creeping me out too fucking much. "I've got a bad feeling Riddick. A really bad feeling that we're not going to end up in familiar territory."

A veil of concern shrouds his face as he walks up to me and looks deeply into my eyes. "How good is your intuition from one to ten."

I swallow the terror down with a gulp of coffee and bite my bottom lip. "It's an eleven and what terrifies me…" I trail off, close my eyes, take a very deep needed breath and look back into his gaze. "…it's **Never** wrong."

**-End Chapter Twenty-Five-**


	26. Chapter 26:: 1,2, He's Coming For You

Holy crap it's been way too damned long. I am so intensely sorry I haven't updated. I've had the story ready, but I've been unable to get around to it. For all of you wonderful people reading this story, thank you again and again for enjoying my work. You have no idea what you guys mean to me. On that note, Chapter 26... Oh and since I haven't been able to go over these chapters I wrote a ways back... There will more than likely be a few hiccups in spelling and grammer. But it ain't too bad :D And once again... Thank You! And Enjoy!!

**:Her Perspective:**

Sitting at the table, head resting in my hands I feel a small tingle of sleep rush through my veins. I close my eyes slowly as I hear Riddick moving back and forth behind me, cleaning things probably. I feel so fucking exhausted, emotionally and physically that taking a nap right now seems like a very good idea…

* * *

Suddenly an alarm sounds. My eyes snap open as I lock my gaze with Riddick's. His face holds the same expression. "Riddick…?"

He moves so fast I don't even have time to think as he grabs me and starts to hall ass toward the bedroom. Once inside he leaves me by the door and does a quick check around the room. He looks under the bed, in the closet and the adjoining bathroom. Once he's positive everything is secure he pulls me inside, closes the door, turns me toward him and looks into my eyes. "Do Not move from this spot until I come back."

I've never seen his eyes glisten like this before. Something is VERY wrong. "What the hell is going on?" I say calmly, restraining the worry that's trying to devour my voice. But I have a very strong feeling that the next thing he's going to say is not something I want to hear.

"No time for questions. You just keep your ass right here and sit tight." Riddick says in a commanding tone and starts to gather things from the room. A belt, a few blades and a what looks like a gauge. Fuckin' thing looks like it can blow a hole through a quarterback. Before he leaves he looks at me one more time. "When I come back, I'll knock twice, pause for five seconds, knock two more times and then you open that door."

"Riddick I don't like this…"

He grabs me by the face and kisses me hard on the mouth, making me speechless. "Wait for me."

And just like that, he's gone. I sigh, aggravated and annoyed. Without another thought I lock the door behind him and step back until my legs hit the edge of the bed. I sit back and feel like every inch of my flesh is crawling as though there are thousands of tiny ravenous insects eating me alive from the inside out. Why does this shit keep happening? Why can't I just be normal? Is it so wrong for one thing to ever be calm in my life?

Suddenly a wave of terror crashes over my soul when I hear a dark chuckle somewhere behind me…bringing my thoughts to a screaming halt.

"Poor little Onyx…all by herself."

That sadistic sounding voice slams through my brain causing every hair throughout my body to stand on end. I feel my chest swell with a terrible fear as his breathing is suddenly very nearby. No…

I jump up from the bed, heart pounding, horror swirling somewhere within the depths of my core and run for the door… To my complete and fucking terror, a very large body gets in my way, blocking any means for an escape. My instincts begin working into overdrive as I make a hard right toward the bathroom… When something hard cracks against my shins, causing my legs to buckle underneath me. I'm flying forward, unable to stop myself and end up slamming into the ground with the a very hard, and agonizing thud. Prickles of pain rage through my chest as I struggle to breathe. Fucking bastard knocked the air out of me! Gasping for sweet breath I force myself to crawl toward the open door to the bathroom and feel two very strong hands take hold of my ankles and tug, dragging me backwards across the carpet as though I were nothing more then a sandbag.

Weakened by the hard blow to my shins, I'm desperately fighting my body to regain some strength as I'm pulled all the way across the room, far away from the bathroom. Fight it god damn it! Fight back! My mind screams and those small waves of rage begin to weave through my veins as fire begins to boil the essence of my blood.

"You didn't really believe I'd just let him have you, did you?" He snarls in a maniacal tone, tightens his grip on my ankles until I feel as though every delicate bone is about to shatter under the pressure. "You belong to me now little girl." His sinister voice trails off as his hands let go of my ankles and are suddenly taking a hold of my hair, jerking my head up and back in a very painful position. "You Are _**Mine**_."

Gaining back what's left of my sanity I push up off the ground with my hands and laugh right in his face, mocking him. "I belong to no one…" The smile on my face widens as I glare into his eyes and say in the most uncaring tone I can muster. "You can just kiss my ass **you sick fuck**."

My body is suddenly flung across the room like a deranged bat flying blindly into sun light. I feel the air whoosh around me when my back and skull suddenly slams against the wall with an ominous crack. Pain courses through every nerve ending as I freefall toward the ground, only to tumble in a mess of limbs onto the bed with a soft bounce. I can't move. My temples are pounding as though I've just been hit by a Mack Truck and my spine is pulsing with white hot tendrils of agony.

The terror in my soul boils and churns, slicing through me over and over until I feel as though I have nothing left. I can hear him getting closer, feel the darkness of his energy reaching out with deadly hands as if ready to consume the light that's dancing on a thread of hope in my eyes. I can barely move as I try to raise my head when I feel him take me harshly by the waist and lay me flat on my back. I try to sit up when a large fist comes crashing down into the left side of my face, causing my jaws to clench down, biting through the inside of my cheek. I feel a swell of hot coppery salt fill my mouth as my head lobs to the side as though I've lost all control of my neck muscles.

Hands, so many hands it seems, begin ripping the clothes from my flesh, leaving me wounded, weak and exposed for him to do whatever he wants to me. I can feel the tears sting my eyes as the chill of unimaginable terror takes over my mind, making me beg for someone, anyone to save me. I try to call out, my jaws throbbing with a terrible ache as I open my mouth to speak only to be silenced with another equally nasty right hook to the face.

Blood sprays onto the clean sheets as I cough and choke on the pain. "Don't do this…" Words, so frail and broken manage to somehow get away from my battered jaw as I feel him positioning me on the bed… Spreading my thighs with forceful, uncaring hands until I feel as though I'm going to split in half. "Please…don't do this to me…" I'm sobbing, terrified, with pain pounding mercilessly within every crevice of my soul.

He only laughs. That horrible, demonic laughter echoing into the hollows my mind, making me want to scream out for help. "Go ahead and cry little girl." Damien snarls and is suddenly above me, his face right above mine. I'm completely frozen, my body trembling with terror induced anxiety as I feel him position himself right between my legs.

"**RIDDICK**!!" I howl with every ounce of my being and am abruptly cut off when his large left hand covers my mouth, nearly suffocating me. Anger replaces the chill in my veins and my arms are suddenly pounding against his arms and chest. Nails clawing, tearing flesh, digging until I feel the blood begin to ooze from the wounds. I hear him growl, a sound that may very well come from the devil himself when a searing pain rushes through me…

* * *

"**NO**!!" I hear myself scream at the top of my lungs, jump up from the table, end up knocking over the chair, standing here completely unbalanced and just collapse to the ground on my hands and knees. Panting, heaving, my body slick with sweat as my arms and legs tremble. Looking toward the ground, I notice my hands pressed flat against the kitchen floor. "It was just a dream…" I think aloud, blinking, trying to stop myself from shaking.

"Jesus what the hell happened?" Riddick announces in a worried voice from behind me as he enters the kitchen.

I swallow hard and try to bring myself to a sitting position. To my dismay, my lower back gives out and I'm flat on my face, damn near kissing the floor. I grumble something under my breath when two large hands, gently take a hold of my waist and carefully help me up off the ground. My head spins as my equilibrium tries to rebalance itself as I'm on my feet, swaying back and forth like a pirate who's just stepped onto dry land for the first time in twenty years.

"You okay baby?" Riddick asks in the softest voice…it almost sings to me as I finally get a grip on myself.

"I…" My voice breaks as the image of Damien's shadow slams against my thoughts causing my knees to give. But Riddick's with me, holding me up with no effort at all. "I must have fallen asleep…" I feel so disconnected right now. I feel like I'm swimming through a haze of sleep induced confusion. "I had a nightmare. I thought I was awake. It was so real Riddick…he was…and you weren't there. You left." I'm babbling but I can't help it.

Holding me close to his body, I instinctively wrap my arms around his waist for dear life. Somewhere within the depths of my being I'm terrified of him not being here. Not being able to stop Damien from…

"Hey…it's okay now baby. No one's going to hurt you." He purrs in a reassuring voice and rubs my back with the palm his large hand, not forceful, not uncaring… But loving, compassionate and safe. So incredibly safe.

"He was going to…and I called out to you…" I continue rambling and realize that I'm crying into his chest, my tears streaming away from my cheek only to trickle down his perfectly webbed muscles. "He was already in the room…even after you checked everything and told me to wait for you."

I feel his chest rise as he takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly, his hold on me tightening just enough to show me he's taking this in. That he understands. "How long has it been since you've really slept?" He asks as I blink a few times and bring my eyes to his.

"I don't know…but I feel so drained." I sigh against his skin and suddenly feel every inch of my skin crawl, my hold on him weakening as I begin shaking. "I don't want to go back to sleep. Don't let me fall asleep. I can't. I can't go back to that nightmare of him…" My voice breaks in mid sentence as I press my forehead against the strength of his chest and whisper. " I don't want him to rape me." I'm overwhelmed as an onslaught of tears dash down my face in a wave of helpless abandon. I feel like I'm coming apart at the seems, breaking, cracking, becoming tiny shards that at any moment will fall away and become dust in the wind.

"Baby girl…" He says in a sad tone and somehow manages to lift me into his arms with such grace, such ease that I have no time to realize it. "We're going to go lay down. Together, okay?"

I nod, unable to speak and lay my head on his shoulder as he makes his way out of the kitchen, down the corridor and into the bedroom. He manages to close the door without losing his grip on me and takes me to the bed. With the ease of a large cat he climbs into bed and lays me down next to him, his strong arms positioned around me so that we're both comfortable, carefully, he then pulls me close. I swallow back my tears and bury my face into his chest, thankful for the safety of his body surrounding me, close to me. I feel safe, guarded. As though nothing, and no one, can get anywhere near me. Not as long as he's here, holding me, keeping me protected with his strength.

Keeping the demons away…

"Everything is okay Onyx, you're safe now…" Riddick says in such a deep voice I feel as though he's trying to lull me to sleep with the sheer richness of it. I close my eyes and feel him press a tender kiss against my head and whispers, "I won't let anything happen to you."

_Sleep…those little slices of death…how I loathe them_.-**Edger Allan Poe**

**-End Chapter Twenty-Six-**


	27. Chapter 27:: Tears Of Steel

Cuz I love you all, so very much... I give you 27 :D

**:Her Perspective:**

I shouldn't be like this. I should be calm, collected…restrained. This pain, like shards of glass, tearing through me, breaking the mold as though I were no more then a piece of meat dangling on a hook in the back of a slaughterhouse. I feel so hollow. As though every emotion has slithered away from me leaving me with this horrible sense of…emptiness. I've slept, my eyes closed, memories fading on the whispers of dying angels. I want to forget, let them break, watch them fall like leaves in the cold autumn wind. I walk a thin line of the unknown. A sense of loss filled with broken promises. I know not of where I'm going to end up, where this journey will take me. Who would save this…shattered figure of girl unwanted and abandoned?

I don't believe in fate. What a bullshit gimmick. I believe that this selfish, tormenting bitch takes you only so far, leading you into the mouth of hell just to back away with a cruel and knowing smile. She stands there, smiling, knowing full fucking well that I'm at a loss and helpless. Does she give a fuck? Nope. She thinks it's a game to sate her sadistic intentions. Like a drug dealer watching it's druggie beg and shake for just another hit, another taste of something so sweet… When it'll just kill the poor bastard in the end. Fate's a real bitch.

She doesn't give two shits what happens to me. If anything, I think she gets off on it. Gets off on the fact that I'm naked, broken and alone…completely unable to protect myself from these fucking emotions. I should have dealt with them years ago… But of course not. I had to be the rebellious one. The one that took shit from nothing and no one. When I was caving in on the inside. I was so alone and the more pain I was fed, the more I pushed everyone away, including these emotions. It's turning me into a monster…

I'm lying here, my eyes closed, but I'm fully awake. Riddick is curled up next to me, around me, protective in his deadly silence. I have to be a fucking idiot for not jumping him when I had the chance. What woman, in her right mind would push him away the way I have? I can't think about sex, no matter what my inner animal wants. She can buck up and shut her fucking mouth because I'm not giving in. Not to her, not to him. No one. God damn it I am My Own Master. I am no one's fucking pet!

Sometimes I wonder if I've really lost it. Truly and completely lost my mind. But then again… I'm reminded that only sane people think they're crazy. Go figure he'd be the person to remind me of that truth. Damn him and his silent knowledge.

You know…I've noticed something. There's this hidden tension between us, and it's not the typical sexual kind either. It's something deeper, primal… Different. When I lie here with him… I feel it. It's this energy I can't really understand. It's all around us, dancing through the darkness on silent wings of secrets. I don't know what he really wants from me. It's not like I'm this oddity or anything. But there is something I've noticed that's different about me since I've gotten on this ship.

I've been feeling different. I can't really explain it. I can feel it in my bones, my muscles…my veins. A slight pulsing, different from my heartbeat, as though it has this life of its own. It makes me feel…stronger, wilder…dangerous. I've been shrugging it off, ignoring it. Thinking that maybe it was just because I was around such a deadly creature…only to realize that I was lied to. But the pulsing didn't leave, it got harder, louder. As though it's waiting for the right moment to emerge. When it does…what's going to happen? For that matter…what will I turn into?

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" The deep rumble of his baritone voice breaks the darkness with a gentle wave of comfort, taking the edge away from my thoughts.

"I woke up a few minutes ago." I reply and shift in his arms so that I'm facing the ceiling. "How long have you been awake?" I ask and look into the darkness, wondering if it's looking back at me with its cold, hard stare.

He moves so that he's partially sitting up, propped up on his elbow, left hand palm down into the mattress as his right arm rests on his side. His eyes, I can feel, peering at me in wonderment. "'Bout the same as you. It's kinda funny actually…"

I furrow my brow and tilt my head to the right and meet his glowing orbs. "What's that?"

I can swear he's smiling. "Been a long time since I've actually been able to sleep. Even if it was for just a few hours."

"Really?" I sit up on my elbows and watch his shimmering pools of animalistic light drift up and down as he nods. "Jesus… I'm surprised you're able to function properly on a daily basis." I say with a hint of surprise in my voice as he lets out a soft chuckle.

"I've become accustomed to it. Between the military, Prison, and running from Johns, I've gotten used to sleeplessness." He explains frankly, reaches out with his free hand and carefully moves a few wild strands of hair away from my face and then goes back to talking as though it was second nature. "Besides…sleep is overrated."

I roll my eyes and shake my head, smiling. "Oh I'm sure. If I said that to you, you'd bitch me out and send me to bed."

"Damned straight. Just because I'm immune to sleep, doesn't mean you do the same. Honestly baby, I wouldn't wish this on you. In fact…" He trails off and gets a sparkle to those luminescent pools. "I envy you."

My smile melts away as I sit up fully, facing my body forward. "Don't envy me. Nightmares are not what I'd call a luxury."

Riddick sits up, his left hand placed directly behind my back, while his face sits right behind my right ear. "You don't always have nightmares… Unless you consider me a nightmare."

I close my eyes and sigh. "You know I don't look at you that way."

His voice catches my attention. "Then how do you see me?"

I don't say anything. I just sit here, thinking about the words that just rumbled from his full lips. He knows I'm considering his question, as he sits here patiently, waiting for my answer. I don't know what to say to him. He's definitely more frightening in real life then I ever thought he could be. But he's also loving, in his own quiet way of course. He's very complex. Just as I knew he'd be if I were ever in the same place with him. Should I tell him that I never believed once, in my entire existence that I'd be sitting here with him? It was an impossible thought the first time, and actually almost terrifying now that I'm letting it go through my mind.

How in the fuck did this happen? How can ANY of this be possible? And damn…if only the girls knew back home that he has an identical twin. They'd be in heaven. Until…they knew what kind of thing his twin turned out to be. What kind of…horrible monster Damien really is. It chills me to the bone when I think about it. So I'm going to cut that thought out of my mind and focus on Riddick. He's definitely more important.

"Onyx? You still there?"

His voice, once again, wraps around my brain and bitch slaps me back into the present. "Sorry…my mind went off on a tangent." I explain and remember that he's still waiting for an answer. What the hell do I tell him? "I see you as you really are." I pause, take a short breath and bring my eyes to his, even if I'm fighting myself to look away. "I see You. Not the killer, or the murdering ex-convict. I see a beautiful creature, one that is willing to do anything for me without having to ask. A man that has a great deal of honor and control. Who is sensitive to his emotions and his surroundings. I see a beautiful animal before me, and I'm not as afraid as I was before… Sorry, poetic side coming out." I finally manage to tear my eyes away and really wish I had a filter or maybe a zipper for my mouth…especially right now as he just…stares at me.

Riddick doesn't say anything, obviously taking a moment to let my words sink in. Almost as though he's taken aback by my honesty. The silence is once again, killing me. I hate silence when there should be words shared and expressed. When emotions and thoughts should be explained and known…not held back for me to have to pry out with my intuition. I hate it. It physically bothers me when I know he's thinking, I can feel it, and yet he still refrains from speaking. As if this wasn't awkward enough…

I can't take this.

I scoot toward the end of the bed and slide my legs off the edge, my feet touch the hard floor with a quiet ease. I don't look at him, outwardly I act as normal as I possibly can as I pad toward the bathroom, my bladder indicating that it needs its release. Biting the inside of my bottom lip, I go inside and close the door behind me, keeping my eyes away from him sitting on the bed. Once locked in this small sanctuary, I flip the lights on to one hundred percent and let out a hiss as pain stabs the back of my eyes and slams into the inside of my skull. I cut the light down ten percent at a time and find that the pain only subsides when it's down to twenty five percent.

_That's weird… _I think to myself and rub the pain from my eyes with my hands, thankful for the dim lighting. I open my eyes with a flutter of my lids and focus on my surroundings. It's odd…I can see everything, even in this minimal lighting. Twenty Five Percent of light really isn't much at all. Hell it's just a bit more above a hint of a glow in the darkness, where you can Barely make out anything, let alone your own hand when you raise it to your face. I'd say that moonlight pouring into a dark room would actually sting my eyes right now, but not enough to really fuck with my nerves. This is really weird. I can see everything in grays and light blues. Is this normal when you get used to the dark? No…it can't be. I've always had excellent night vision but this is something completely different. It's almost as though I'm seeing everything more clearly for the first time. Okay, I'm seriously creeped out. This is too weird.

I breathe in the quiet and proceed to go the bathroom. My mind goes blank for a moment as I finish up on the toilet, flush and then go to the bathroom counter. I push the buttons for water, adjust the temperature with another knob in the middle that goes by a percentage almost like the light. The face of it, with numbers behind it with the dial raising with the heat, reminds me of a speedometer in a way. Interesting really. I listen to the rush of the water flowing freely from the small faucet, grab the small bar of soap and start scrubbing my hands. I rinse them off and then splash my face with water, work the bar in my hands until I have a frothy lather, set it back down and start washing my face. As I do this, I start to get this weird sensation along my spine. As though something cold, and faint, trickled along the flesh of my back. I stop for a moment and listen, certain that nothings there I finish my rinsing my face, shut off the water and reach out with my left hand to a towel that was hanging on the wall to the right of the door.

The soft fabric clings to my skin as I pat my face dry. I bring my body up, standing straight and dry off my neck. That's when I hear it and feel it. Breath, almost a whisper, flows against my neck and causes me to go completely rigid. The breathing suddenly stops, the feeling vanishes and I'm trapped in this moment of complete puzzlement. I keep my eyes closed, trusting in my other senses to seek out this unknown entity. My mind expands and unleashes invisible tentacles, scanning, probing, searching the area around me for this strange feeling. I sense nothing and decide to open my eyes. For a moment I'm staring at my reflection with an almost confused expression etched in my arched brows as I notice something isn't quite right with what I'm viewing.

It takes a blink of an eye for the image to register in my brain before my mouth can catch up. I go to speak and find myself being silenced by my reflection in the mirror bringing a finger to her grinning lips. I stand here, unmoving, frozen in awe at what I'm witnessing. My reflection nods, that grin still slithering along her curved lips as her hand drifts away from her mouth so that it's right out in front of her chest. She motions for me to watch with a nod of her head as she closes the small hand and snaps it back open. I feel my breath catch in the back of my throat as the tips of the fingers morph into what appear to be small curved, talons. Almost feline like, with a slight serrated edge on the inside of each as they shimmer black under the low light of the bathroom.

"_You see? We're not so different." _She says without speaking, her voice stolen from my throat, using it against me. I know full well I'm not talking to myself as my own mouth is now firmly covered with the palm of my left hand.

"_You…" _I say in my mind and watch her nod, her smile stretching her lips back into a toothy grin. And once again, I feel that pulsing, pound deeper, wilder. A hard lump of conflicted thoughts forms in the back of my throat, causing me to swallow it down forcefully. _"…Beast."_

"_That's right princess, you called it right." _She purrs sadistically in my head as I watch my…I mean her already cat like canines begin to lengthen, bit by bit until they're damn near an inch in length. She opens her jaws in a yawn, revealing the lower set of canines which seem to be only half as long as the top, but still just as deadly to gaze upon.

"_Why…" _I can't finish the thought when her jaws snap shut and she glares at me, her eyes starting to glow, slowly like a liquid fire burning within the belly of some hellish beast. _"Why am I seeing you, like this?" _I ask and slowly take my hand away from my mouth as I watch this image of myself take on a life of its own.

She smirks and cants her head to the side, narrowing those crimson inflamed orbs. _"You already know the answer to that __**Erin**__. Oh wait_…" She trails off in my head as I cringe at the sound of that name. _"I'm sorry, you're calling yourself Onyx now, right? Still ashamed of me?"_

"She's dead to me." I say out loud in a low voice, the temperature of my body raising along with the bile in the back of my throat.

The image gives me an unimpressed look, _"If you haven't noticed, you're very much alive doll." _Her voice whips and lashes out at my sanity as she grins maniacally, leans forward, her hands on either side of the sink as she stares me in the eyes. _"Which means I'm not going anywhere."_

Suddenly the sound of knocking on the door damn near causes me to jump out of my skin. I take a quick glance toward the door and then back to my reflection. She smiles knowingly, something shifts, her face becomes a blur and becomes the face of some black jaguar, eyes flashing with hunger. The jaws open wide, letting out a silent roar and just like that…the image fades and I'm staring at myself blinking in the mirror. I swallow again and reach out toward the mirror, my hand shaking as it touches the smooth surface.

"Hey…I need to talk to you when you're done doing…whatever it is you're doing in there." Riddick says behind the door, in a pleasant request as I let my hand fall back to my side.

"I'll be out in a minute Riddick." I reply, with an icy calm in my voice and hear him shift on his feet. He's leaning against the wall next to the door, waiting for me to make my appearance. I give my reflection one more, long hard look, maybe waiting to see if she'll show herself again. But of course nothing happens…except for a strange glint of light echoing behind the depths of my pupils. I shrug it off as my mind playing tricks on me and shut off the light. Gathering my wits I set the towel back on the wall and open the door. Hoping that she doesn't decide to make another appearance in the presence of Riddick…

…_That's all I need…_

**-End Chapter Twenty-Seven-**


	28. Chapter 28:: Break The Chains

[**Onyx's Note::** I know it's been a about 10 months since I've updated this story. I would've updated it a helluva lot sooner if I could find the files...which I did, but they weren't compatible with some of the software with my other computer. But YAY!!! Thank the gods for portable hardrives...and now I can start posting it again! Remember this was all written a few years back and, since the end has not been finished yet, it's still a work in progess. I want to say thank you, to everyone who has read this and is still willing to continue on this journey with me. Just so you know...these chapters are going to get terribly intense and mind blowing.]

**::WARNING::**

**::Viewer Discretion Is Strongly Advised!!::**

* * *

**::Her Perspective::**

I step forward, just two feet in front of the door and feel a large hand wrap around my waist, pull me back, my chest pressed against a warm wall of muscle and let out a gasp. "Riddick what are you doing?" I say and find that my breath has vanished into the silence around us. I don't know what he's doing, but this isn't really the best time. Not with Her just beneath the surface, not when she's so close to getting out…

I'm completely helpless when those burning orbs of light trickle through me and cause me to swallow down the last of my voice. I can't move as he brings his right hand behind my head, fingers tangling through my hair until the palm of his hand is cupping the back of my head. The next thing I know he brings his lips crashing against mine in an explosive kiss. I'm pressed harshly against him as our lips mold against each other. The world and everything in it, including my sanity, vanishes into the surrounding darkness. My breath catches somewhere deep within the confines of my chest. Gentle and dangerous, consuming, starving, I'm under his spell. I'm suddenly trapped within his possessive embrace, tangled within this moment of sensation, swept away by the undertow of emotions spilling through us.

Then there's that fucking pulse again. It suddenly begins to rise, swirling through me, breaking the seams of my eternal cage, tearing away the confines of my inner sanctuary. I want to fight this, but the walls crumble and fall. Pieces shattered, unwanted and drifting as the winds of our energy take them away into the abyss of my soul. I'm held tightly, as though he's afraid I might fall. His warm, wanting flesh so very close to mine, begging silently, wanting, beckoning me to give in. I can feel it in the pulse, calling out to me, growling and snarling deep within. _Let me free_…it whispers in that voice that swirls with an unknown energy along the very length of my spine, drowning my soul in a sea of confused emotions.

I want to give in, just a little. Let him bleed into me, devour my essence in this moment of sexual undertones. I'm being fed his energy, electricity dancing, weaving, licking my spirit as though tempting me to let him in. But that dark voice, somewhere within my being, whispers out in warning. It wants me to back away, as though I'm treading on thin ice. And at any moment it's about to break and I'll have no other choice but to fall.

I jerk away, breaking this moment of pure energy. My lips sting, the taste of kiss, wet, tingling, and sweet… still fresh on my mouth as I glare at him through the darkness around us… But…it's not as dark as before. I can't explain it. I can…see him. Wait a fuckin' minute, I can see him?? Holy shit! No… I shouldn't be able to SEE him. Everything is illuminated in those blues and grays again. This is fucking insane. Apparently…I'm not the only one who's surprised. He has the weirdest look on his face…one I'm not accustomed to seeing. And I doubt it has anything to do with the fact that I just broke the kiss. Oh yea…he just kissed me. Oh My Gods he Just KISSED me!! Oh that's a good one Onyx…delayed reaction from hell. _Price Check of Prune Juice Bob…_

My flesh begins to tingle with a silent uncertainty, making this even more uncomfortable. This whole situation has just tipped the scales of my weird shit-o-meter. Riddick isn't moving. His eyes are narrowed, as though he's squinting. Wait…that doesn't make any sense. Why would he be squinting at me? The room is dark…right? I mean it was damn near pitch black when I went to the bathroom…

"What is it big guy?" I ask and get no reply, he's just watching me with those burning orbs of quiet intelligence. This is getting on my last fucking nerve. "What the hell are you staring at?!" I bark out in frustration, my veins starting to itch as though millions of fire ants are devouring me from the inside out. Ravenous insects eating me away, piece by agonizing piece. My hands begin to scratch at my arms, trying to get the feeling to stop when his eyes shift from that liquid blue mercury glow to a lighter shade of white…if that's even possible.

"I think we need to go to the bathroom…" He states in a very low, very controlled voice. One that only makes the itching more intense. God Damn it why won't it stop?! I feel like if I don't tear my skin away from my flesh I'll eventually begin to dissolve into a pile of blood and bones.

"But I just went to the…" I'm cut off when he grabs me by the left arm and pulls me into the bathroom, and forces me to look at my reflection. "Damn it Riddick what the fuck are you…?!" The air in my lungs is suddenly cut off as my heart jumps hard against my ribcage.

"Oh My God…" I hear my voice echo away from my gaping jaws as I'm trapped…staring at two swirling liquid flames shimmering back at me. My hands reach up, shaking in their ascent and stop just under my eyes. I watch the skin of my finger tips become illuminated with a soft reddish gold by the sudden glow of my eyes. "Riddick what's happening to me?"

I'm completely awestruck and terrified at the sight of my eyes shimmering back at me with a luminescence I've never dreamed of. "I'm dreaming." I state flatly and clench my eyes shut and start slapping the sides of my head. "Wake up damn it!" I cry out softly and feel his grip on my wrists, stopping me from further injury.

"Onyx stop it." He growls and jerks my arms to my sides, restraining me from lashing out. "Now open your eyes."

"No." I snarl and clench my eyes so tightly I begin to see waves of light trickle behind my eyelids. It hurts, pounds slowly against my temples but I won't do it. I can't. This is fucking crazy!

I cringe at the feeling of his hands tightening around my wrists. "That was not a request Onyx."

He continues to squeeze until I feel the pressure so close to shattering the fragile bones within. "Ow! Take it easy you fucking bastard!" I hiss and snap my eyes open, too pissed off currently to give a shit if my eyes are glowing like small balls of fire. "Happy you sonuvabitch?" I snap under my breath and glare at him through the reflection staring back at me in the mirror. Sure enough, my eyes are glowing…actually, they're beginning to get brighter. A strange flickering of metallic gold where my pupils should be as a swirling of neon reds swim within my iris's.

"_Let me Play with him…" _I hear the beast inside my head but my reflection remains the same. I clench my jaws and feel the muscles in my face twitch as the itching becomes a slow, aching, burn. A sensation much like that of the heat of a shower slamming against your skin, getting warmer, hotter, singeing. As though the droplets have become small knives jabbing into every pore with a terrible, unforgiving sting.

Riddick remains placid and silent…until his chest rises quickly and his face contorts with another strange look. A rumble ripples along my spine as his growl devastates my system. I'm frozen as the sound of it saturates every inch of my being, torturing me with its dangerous essence. It's angry and competitive, almost as though challenging me with the mere sound of it. It's the same sound that dances away from the bared teeth of another predator, fighting over territory.

_Oh no…not that… Please tell me his Beast isn't awake… Please tell me it doesn't…sense Mine. Fuck. This is Exactly what I need right now, a dangerous Riddick Beast waking up and me not knowing what in the hell I'm going to do to protect myself._

Then, as though emerging from the very mouth of hell, I hear a voice, that's not really a voice but a sound, and it tears through my brain as though it were made of nothing more then sand, slipping away from the crevices of my cracked sanity. I'm conflicted. My human side afraid and confused…as the other side…the _**Animal**_ side… Growls with a sadistic delight.

"Riddick…please let go of me." I ask in a frightened voice, as it breaks into the tense silence surrounding us. But he doesn't move. His grip, is now clenched tightly, pain inflicting my nerves with waves of agony. "Let go!" I beg in desperation as I continue to fight with my inner selves for dominance…for control over my wild soul.

"Sorry princess… Can't help you there."

I'm completely frozen in fear. His voice isn't a voice anymore. It's a snarl, one laced and dripping with a deadly warning. I don't hear Riddick anymore. The sound of his tone has dropped so many octaves I don't even know if it could even be considered…human.

**::Onyx and Her Beast Sequence::**

_Oh gods what am I going to do? "**Let me out Onyx…let me take care of this**." No, no you can't Beast. This isn't playtime. "**Fine. You deal with Riddick's Beast. See if I care when he ends up raping you**…" Shut Up! "**Heh…you know very well I'm right. Let me out if you want to live through this." **He won't hurt me, he's too controlled for that… "**Stop kidding yourself. Your precious little Riddick isn't in control anymore. And if you don't let me out in a few seconds he's going to**…" FINE! Do what you want… Just don't hurt him. "**Oh I don't intend to hurt him Onyx…well not much**." Wait, what?_

**::End Sequence::**

A blinding light slams into the back of my skull and causes me to throw my head back, as a scream tears away from my lungs with a voice completely alien to me. My body shaking, trembling as though I'm about to shake the very flesh from my bones. The pulse, deep, angry, pounding wildly, furiously. I'm losing control. I feel an energy, surging, ripping through me with a white hot flame. I want to scream out for it to stop but it takes the breath away from my twisted lips as I tremble, fighting, desperate, helpless against the untamed…the wild. The animal…My beast.

Riddick goes to pull my hands behind my back when I lose all control of my body functions and slump forward, my forehead within inches of slamming against the edge of the counter as I hang here, motionless. My breathing comes out in slow, shallow bursts as the pulse slams heavily against the inside of my eardrums. I'm drowning in a darkness I've never known, feeling it spill over me in waves of power I've only ever dreamed of. It seduces me, envelopes me with this uncontrollable need…to fight back. It's filling every vein, every crevice, every pore until I feel it begin to ooze out of my tear ducts. The feeling of it is wild, tingling, burning and dangerous. It tickles the inside of my eyelids, forcing me to react, to rub the afflicted area. I feel the muscles throughout my back begin to pull and strain as my upper body begins to rise. It's odd, this sensation of such ease, as though it's no effort at all as I'm standing completely upright, my back pressing against the intricate muscles of his chest.

My head still tilted downward, my hair falling over my face like the vision of a dead woman in some twisted Japanese horror movie. My brain registers his grip on my wrists, but it doesn't hurt anymore. In fact, it's almost soothing to my rearranged senses. It feels…pathetic. As though his attempt to harm me has been in vain. The thought in itself, brings a dark chuckle from my chest and lets it flutter out of my lungs as though it were a demonic butterfly rising away from the bowels of some unmentionable abyss. I bring my tongue to the back of my front teeth and make three, slow tsking sounds. My head shakes from side to side with a careful movement as my wild hair dangles in tangled waves over my hidden face.

"You've been a very Bad boy Riddick…" It's my voice, a mixture of me and the beast in one low and taunting tone of warning. Dare I say it, but this almost feels…good. "You should back off now… Don't want to have to hurt you."

In a flash he pulls my wrists together with his left hand, holding them, and uses his free right hand to grab a handful of my hair and with a single tug, jerks my head up and back, revealing my face in the mirror. To his dismay, his vision is welcomed with an amused grin that's distorted my once gentle features. "You're playing with fire bitch." He snarls in that animalistic growl that once terrified me to the bone…

Except now, it only makes me laugh out in defiance. "Give it up you fuck. You're not going to hurt me."

Suddenly I'm pushed forward and down, the left side of my face smashed against the counter surface as the palm of his right hand presses hard against the back of my head. I feel him shifting around on his feet behind me. The sound of tearing clothes, my pants to be exact, and then the sound of him shuffling around with the front of his pants. "I wouldn't do that if I were you…" The smirk on my face remains unnoticed as my hair lays drenched over my features.

Of course, he doesn't seem to hear me. I think it's about time I prove my point.

While he's positioning himself behind me I go completely limp, calculating, the wheels turning as I gain as much energy as I can while waiting for my window of opportunity. Well, waiting for the right moment. Who doesn't like a surprise these days? Heh…I'm sure he'll get a real Kick out of this.

"I said…" My voice dances away from me when I'm suddenly upright, "…back Off." He has only seconds to react as he's bent over me, but fails to get out of my way as I slam the back of my skull right into his face. Making direct contact with the bridge of his nose. I hear him grunt out in pain and feel his grip ease up from my body. _Game time… _I grin at the thought, spin around, brace my now free hands palm down on the counter and with a push of my upper body, jump up into the air with a flash of movements. It's amazing at how fast I'm moving as my legs lash out, manage to take hold of his neck, and with a sudden jerk of my thighs, launch his big ass toward the shower stall. I land gracefully, both feet planted securely against the smooth floor and watch him struggle to get up.

I shake my head at him, a sadistic smile stretching the fine lines of my lips. "Why is that everything has to resort to violence? I mean…surely, you understand I don't like having to exert physical force. Well…in this case, it was needed." I purr in a mocking snarl and watch his head snap toward me, a line of blood trickling down his flaring nostrils. _Oh look…he's pissed. Heh, let's see if he can keep up. _I grin knowingly and let my hands fall before me, palms up and curl my fingers towards me, baiting him.

I don't wait for his response and with a graceful twist on the balls of my feet, I charge out of the bathroom and into the adjoining bedroom. I can literally feel him within arms reach as I make another hard turn toward the corridor, barely missing his hands from grabbing another handful of my hair. I'm pretty sure at this point he would have literally scalped me. Too bad he wasn't fast enough…_this time_. I better keep myself a few steps ahead or he'll end up ghosting me. Can't have that, now can I?

Somehow everything is more crisp, clearer then I've ever seen it. Every detail within the walls; the small dents here and there throughout the deck beneath my moving feet. The pipes trailing out above my head as though they're veins encased in metal. I feel the ship's engines working and thundering all around me, alive as I charge forward, knowing that if I wait for the right door which will be to my left within about ten more paces, will spill me out into a larger area where I can easily defend myself.

I've never been this exhilarated in my life. I feel like I'm flying. My legs feel no pain, my lungs heaving as air is pushed in and out without any burning. I feel so unbridled and alive as I find the door and throw myself against it, damn near breaking it off the track and hear a loud crackling hiss of electricity behind me as I get inside the huge room. I'm positive I saw a hint of sparks reflecting against the metallic panels along the walls behind me. I'm not worried about that right now, I have to get to the middle of the room before I let this little game proceed. Scanning with a quick glance I note that I'm actually in some kind of dojo. I'll worry about the details later, because I have a very large and very pissed off Riddick close to taking the floor out from under me.

I stop and turn just in time to see him standing at the other end of the room. His presence is dark, feral in a sense, like a looming shadow of a demon within the heart of some nightmarish cemetery. I can sense that I'm going to have to be as quick on my feet as possible. If I slip up just once, he's going to use that against me. Defeat is Not an option. I know he's stronger then me…larger, deadlier. But what I lack in those abilities I make up for in calculation, fast thinking and movement. Can't forget…the bigger they are the harder they fall. I know I can't beat him with brute force alone, I'm going to have to outwit him. And even then I'm dancing on the edge of a blade, waiting to cut me at any moment of weakness. I can't screw this up. I have no choice. And I sure as hell don't intend on running away.

"Looks like you're trapped little girl. What a shame." The swirling of his gravely voice bounces off the walls with an ominous sense of twisted intentions, warning me that I'm about to die. He takes a careful step forward, his body reminding me of an ancient hell beast emerging out of the shadows of insanity. Invisible flames of madness licking the air about his silent feet as he moves towards me, with a slow and steady gait.

"Is that supposed to scare me?" I taunt in a twisted voice and let my senses bloom into the area around me. Telling me of obstacles that could very well give him the upper hand. Knowing him, that's exactly what he's planning. Cornering me, immobilizing me and then…the gods know what.

A rumbling growl dances in the air on the edge of a maniacal chuckle, unfeeling, uncaring that he may hurt the one person that means everything to him. "If I were in your position, I would be terrified."

My eyes narrow as I watch him move, inch by agonizing inch…advancing in my direction. I take a steady step back, as though I were on some tight wire high above the ground, hoping that the weak line doesn't snap beneath me. Something I don't quite understand, which should scare the hell out of me. If I'm able to think and work with my beast as one entity… That must mean Riddick is consumed and has no control at all. Is he somewhere in there, watching all of this? Maybe that's an advantage I can use… Try to get to him, though I seriously doubt that I can reason with his beast at the moment. Anything is worth a try at this point. My survival depends on it.

"Riddick…get a grip on yourself." I say and watch him smirk at me with a stone cold expression of hatred. "I'm reacting because you forced me to. You know I can't beat you."

"Save it for someone that cares." He snarls, his voice a booming sound of unimaginable chaos, flickering against the walls my sanity, trying to get them to cave in. "You're wasting your breath."

"Is that it? You get one whiff of another animal and you just go flipside? I can't believe how truly pathetic that is." I know this is ballsy of me, but maybe pissing his beast off will make it easier for Riddick to regain some control. "You know what's really sad… You can't exist without him. You're just a sad little portion of his personality. Must burn your balls knowing that he's the reason you're even breathing."

"Shut your fucking mouth."

"I bet that if you had your own body, you'd be easily crushed. Ah, poor little beastie, too weak to live on its own." I coo mockingly, the very same voice you would use toward a small child that can't get its way. Chastising is fun! "Am I making you upset? Poor baby… Can't hack it without a human body…how pathetic." I narrow my eyes as the deepest, soul wrenching growl pours from my lips as though I have some monstrous feline trapped in the back of my throat. "Unlike you, we are one. You are a sad little creature, where as we…" I can't believe what I'm hearing… It's an animal's growl mixed with a haunting melody of my very own voice. "…are Powerful."

"You talk too much." He snarls out in a literal bark, as though he's just stolen the voice of a huge, demonic dog. "You don't know who you're fuckin' with."

I throw my head back and let out a guttural laugh. The sound echoing from the bowels of two different entities sharing the same emotions, letting the sound pour out into the darkness, only to envelope him in a terrible mocking wave of defiance. "Oh no baby…" I purr with that strange animal voice and bring my eyes to his, and watch him squint at the brightness of them. "You have no idea how seriously screwed you are."

He snaps his neck from side to side, allowing the vertebrae to crack and pop. Rolling his shoulders, he shakes his head like an animal and clamps his hands into tight fists. "Care to make a wager princess?"

I can't help the grin playing over my lips. "How about you play dead like a good boy, and I won't severely kick your sorry ass?"

At any other moment…saying those words and watching Riddick lunge towards me would be the end of my existence… Except, for one thing…

I make good on my promises…

**-End Chapter Twenty-Eight-**


	29. Chapter 29:: Burn

**::WARNING::**

**::Viewer Discretion Is Strongly Advised!!::**

* * *

**::Outside Perspective::**

Onyx literally drops to the floor and rolls as fast as humanly possible to the left as Riddick's massive form launches through the air, straight towards her, ready to take her out in a hard tackle. To his dismay, the smaller wildcat has quickly maneuvered away from him, which causes him to tuck and roll as he hits the floor. Using the momentum he jumps back up into a crouching position and snarls at the sight of her form, crouched as well, on the opposite end of the room.

"You can't win princess." His voice is a jumble of sounds, a mixture of beast and man, tangled in a web of deadly intent. He's going to severely hurt her…and enjoy doing so. "Give up now and I might let you live…"

Tilting her chin up defiantly she hisses with the same ferocity of a insane cat, her rebellious nature becoming a dangerous entity all its own. "How about you shut that fucking hole in your face and give me something to work with." She gives him a toothy grin and shifts back and forth on her ankles, her hands touching the ground like a panther about to pounce. "Prove to me that you're not some scared little animal, cowering under its master's shadow and I might actually enjoy making you suffer."

"Have it your way bitch." His chest rumbles with another growl as he lets every muscle fuse and swell with adrenaline. Blood pumping, heart pounding, chest heaving, sweat glistening and sparkling along tight mounds of well defined flesh. Anticipation running thick like mud through his veins. He can feel Riddick somewhere deep within, struggling to regain control. The beast merely laughs inside, knowing that poor little Riddick is going to have try a lot harder then that to stop him from ripping precious little Onyx limb from limb. Or maybe, first he would get some sweet satisfaction by fucking her brains out. Then if she's still breathing, he'll finish her off. And let good ole Riddick watch helpless as he tortures the screams out of her.

"You won't fucking get the chance you sadistic waste of shit." She snarls in a low and threatening voice as her eyes flash a wild emerald, sparkling within the depths of her golden pupils. Riddick's beast watches in a slight fascination as her pupils become slits, just like that of a cat, then mold back into their original, round, human shape.

"Aw is the poor kitty angry? Too fucking bad."

"Go to hell." Suddenly she's on her feet, lightening reflexes as she moves across the room, further away from her would-be attacker behind some fighting equipment. In a flash she takes a staff of some kind in her grip and dodges as his body comes flying at her again, this time actually meeting his fist into her right arm, causing her to tumble to the ground in a loud thud.

Within seconds she's rolling and jumps back onto the balls of her feet with staff still clenched in her vice like grip. She doesn't have to wait long as he charges up to her from her right, but is flipped back, smacking his body into the floor with a crack. Onyx had used the staff like a baseball bat, taking his legs out from under him in a very powerful swing. Her mind screamed with triumph when the staff met true and took the floor out from beneath his feet.

Going to turn she lets out a surprised yelp as he bounces off the floor and tackles her to the ground, dislodging her grip from the staff. It flies in one direction, as they fall back into another direction, skidding just a few feet along the ground. His hands pressed hard against her shoulders, she manages to wiggle her legs up between them and slams her knees hard into his gut, knocking the wind out of him. This only cuts his reaction time down slightly, but just enough for her to let off a full attack of fists and claws. Running on pure instincts, not realizing the talons protruding from the tips of her fingers, Onyx slashes at his face, leaving four deep angry red slashes along the left side of his cheek. Unable to stop herself, she lashes out at his chest and hears the serrated edge of her claws tear the tender flesh of his chest in a series of disturbing rips of skin and muscle.

He lets out a roar of pain induced rage, but she's moving too quickly to get a good hit in. Just one punch of his fist to her face and that would end it. But she knows that and will Not let him retaliate.

With a defiant hiss, the scent of iron thick in her nose, she feels an energy tremble through her. It causes every hair to stand on end as her blood ignites into a fire of liquid insanity. She watches him clench his fist, his arm raising and arching back, ready to slam his tight fist in a powerful swing into her face when she lets out a demonic roar and slams all four limbs right into his midsection.

He's taken aback by the sound ripping away from her mouth and feels every inch of his chest ache with tendrils of pain as he falls back hard against the floor. Struggling for breath his arms cover the afflicted area as pain continues to swell and wriggle just beneath the surface. "You're going to die you stupid little cunt…"

Onyx stands up, her legs shaking as though the energy swimming through her veins is too great. She ignores it and sides steps over to the staff, picks it up and finally notices the claws. She blinks for a few seconds, completely caught off guard by the sight of them. Right as this registers in her brain her attention is torn away by a clicking sound. She turns her head towards the source of the noise and feels horror well up in her throat as a fist cracks violently against her jaw, sending her flying back in a mess of limbs.

"You're fast princess…but just not fast enough."

She raises her head in time to see his form looming towards her in that same slow gait. Groaning as pain dances within the muscles of her jaw, she rolls onto her stomach and struggles to get onto her hands and knees. Limbs shaking from the shock of the attack, she manages to sway on her feet, finally standing up right. A painful wail echoes from her mouth as her lower back is assaulted with the heel of his foot, causing her to arch in a agonizing angle only to collapse and slam face first into the ground with a smack.

"You should probably stay down, don't want me to mess up that pretty face." He muses sadistically and kicks her hard in the right side, causing her to roll over twice and stop. He watches with a pleased grin as she struggles to curl up in a fetal position from the pain, trying to protect herself from him.

Onyx manages to look up at him, blood filling her mouth. "Suck. My. Dick." She spit's the crimson liquid onto his feet as she makes a point to pronounce every word with a deep seeded hatred.

He sighs, cants his head to the side and slams his bloody foot once more into her side, flipping her over onto her back. "You just don't get it, do you?" He drawls out and crouches down, reaches out and grabs her by the throat, jerking her head up so that she's forced to look into his face. In a deep, unforgiving growl he warns, "and now you're going to learn why it's not very smart to fuck with me."

She glares at him in her defiance, ignoring the fact that his hand nearly wraps completely around her throat. "You can't hurt me." She laughs in a choked voice as his grip tightens, nearly stopping the blood from rushing to her brain. "Unlike you, you mindless fucking pig, I've got the advantage." Her left hand rises too quickly for him to block as she reaches up, in between his legs and grabs onto his balls. He lets out a snarl of agony as she tightens her grip, the tips of her claws slicing through the material of his pants and digs just slightly into the very tender flesh.

"Let go of my neck or you lose the ability to breed." Her voice is so low it nearly matches his own. She knows very well that he can either become enraged and just snap her neck, or he can listen and back off. Because if she even senses that he'll try to kill her, she'll sink her claws into the sensitive organs and rid him of his manhood. Temples pounding, small dots filling her vision, she growls deep within her chest and grips a little harder, sinking the tips a littler deeper until he finally lets go of her neck. Forcing the need to cough and choke away as the air runs freely, she continues the grip on his most precious body part and manages to sit up.

"Bring Riddick back." She hisses between her bloody teeth and watches him glare at her. "Do it mother fucker…"

"Heh…fuck you bitch." He retorts maniacally and lets out another groan of agony as her right hand claws deep into the already bleeding wounds of his chest.

"BRING RIDDICK BACK!!"

If only she knew what he was planning, if only she anticipated the hand flying at her she may have won. Instead, she was back handed with a force so great she lost control of her senses and was flung across the room like a wet rag. Her back met with an immense crack as she hit the bottom of a workout bench and slumped in a heap of pain against the floor.

**::Her Perspective::**

That bastard…I never thought I could feel so much pain before in my life! Probably because I've never been in a fight before. This is just terrible… I feel like every fucking pore is on fire. I'm pretty sure he bruised my ribs, they don't feel cracked or broken. Gods I swear that when I finally regain my wits I am going to beat the ever living shit out of him…

"You finished bitch?" I hear him snarl in that inhuman voice as he stands over me, hands on his hips as though he's admiring my beaten body.

"Not…by…a Long Shot!" I scream at the top of my lungs, throw my legs out, trapping the bottom of his ankles and bring my legs together in a scissor like motion, knocking him right on his ass. He hit's the ground with a thud, giving me just seconds to get back onto my feet. If I don't do this now, he'll win. And I can't have that. I have to dominate him. There's no other way.

Staggering quickly I jump on top of him, straddling him and using my powerful thighs to lock myself in place. Thinking on my feet I place my claws at his throat and press the tips just hard enough to emphasize that I'm not fucking around anymore.

"You have exactly ten seconds to shut the fuck up before I slit your throat."

"You can't kill me Onyx. You do that and you kill Riddick."

The rage builds in my chest as my left hand rises, I twist my upper body and backhand that stupid smile from his face. The sound of my hand making contact with his jaws lets out a sickening slap. "Don't make me repeat myself." I'm so angry at this point the blues and grays that once filled my sight have been overwhelmed with shimmering red and gold tones of light. "Listen very carefully. I'm the Alpha now. I've won this game. You do the noble thing and release Riddick or I won't hesitate to castrate you."

He growls defiantly in my face and narrows his eyes. "You'll never be Alpha…"

Once again, I'm forced to crack another hard slap across his face, causing a small stream of blood to trickle down his mouth to match the rest that's dripping from his nose and the slashes on his cheek. "Release him, and that is Not a request."

"What makes you think you've won, huh?" He purrs and spits out a mouthful blood onto my face. I won't let him get a rise out of me. He's trying to make me crack. Stupid sonuvabitch doesn't know the meaning of stubborn.

Then something clicks in the back of my head. Jesus why didn't I think of this before? I take a deep breath, swallow back the rage boiling my blood and crush his smiling mouth in a hungry kiss. I pull back and look into his confused eyes. "Damn it Riddick…I Love You." I say and push my mouth back against his, embracing those swollen lips as though I were a baby breathing air for the first time.

The taste of his sweat stained blood enters my open mouth as he kisses back, almost forcefully. I move my hands to the back of his neck and feel his bone crushing arms wrap around my waist, tugging me harshly against his hard body. I snarl against his mouth and grind my hips against him, causing a growl to ripple through him as he begins to harden between my thighs. The taste and scent of blood and his musk begins to cause my inner folds to moisten with anticipation. I moan softly into his lips as he bites down into my bottom lip, breaking the skin, mixing our blood in the most animalistic displays of enraged lust imaginable.

I'm suddenly consumed by this overwhelming need to feel his cock deep inside of me. As if linked, he flips me over, carefully this time, and while nibbling and licking the blood from my lips, he begins tearing the clothes from my aching body. Suddenly his energy is different causing my beast to calm almost instantly. It's not his beast anymore…it's him.

It's Riddick.

I feel the rush of cool air against my now naked flesh and sit up, watching him rip his pants away, revealing his blood engorged cock, standing proud before me. I watch as he gets down onto his knees, hands planted on either side of me, and begins to prowl up and between my legs like a lion stalking its prey through the high grass under the scolding light of an African sun. I feel my heart thunder wildly in excitement as he slides himself over my wet opening, teasing me with his heat, the pulsing of his thickness just inches away from slamming into me. I bite my bottom lip and realize that there's something hidden within his sparkling gaze. It's a familiar emotion, one I know very well every time I lose myself in those luminescent orbs. An endless eternity looks back me, causing my heart to weep at the very beauty of his untamed spirit revealing itself to me in a moment of love.

I see tears swell there, and feel the same sting in my own as he lowers himself gently, not wanting to cause me any more harm, and leaves the most tender of kisses upon my bruised lips. I close my eyes and feel the tiny trickles of pure emotion dance down my hot skin as he dips the very tip of his cock into the depths of my white hot core. I let out a soft hiss against his mouth and feel his body tense. He pauses and very slowly, pumps just inches of himself in and out of my aching center. Careful not to hurt me, wanting me to share this feeling of union with the smallest amount of pain as physically possible. I can't help it, I'm falling a part. Tears free fall down the sides of my face as he enters me with such grace and ease, stretching me slowly, carefully, filling me to the core with the essence of his being. Letting it sit there, comfortable, throbbing, pulsing as my tight walls tremble and quiver in response to his length and width.

My hands grip his shoulders, my fingertips back to normal, my body shaking. Breath leaves and returns quickly, almost panting as he kisses the tears away from my eyes. My body arches against him, my hips begging, pleading for him to move. "Easy Onyx, I don't want to rush this." I hear him say, his voice harsh as though he's been screaming for hours on end.

"Relax baby…let me do all the work." Riddick purrs so softly, so gently I feel my world shatter all around me. Then he moves, and oh god I feel like I'm on fire. Slipping slowly, in and out, filling me then escaping, torturing what's left of my senses.

"Oh God…" I murmur as he takes my lips with his, kissing me hungrily, greedily, taking my voice away. Taking all the pain away. Just…taking me…away from the madness, away from the ship and the blood and tears…

Our bodies molding, moving, swaying. Sweat dripping, hands now held together, fingers intertwined. Wanting, needing, blood rushing, flesh against flesh. Souls searching, weaving as energy dances through us, meshing and swirling as his thick heat continues to slip in and out slowly in that terrible rhythm. A gasping moan escapes me as I feel him trigger the swollen bud, his heat and strength sliding against me, inside of me, spreading me, devouring me. His muscles moving under a landscape of bruised and bloody flesh, sweat dripping from his face and chest, trickling over me in a rain of desire. I'm lost as he dives within my hidden sea, riding the slow building waves he creates with every gentle thrust inside of me, against my clit, triggering my body to react, to swell with need.

I whimper as he kisses my mouth, softly, tenderly, his mouth trailing down my chin, toward my neck. His tongue lashing out to taste the salty flesh, as his body begins to pump a little harder, matching my sudden increase in movement. My hands grip his back, pushing him hard against my pelvis, grinding hard against his flesh as his thickness continues to slide in a rhythm out of my control. The tendrils of passion slither through the nerves in my aching core as I feel the climax suddenly build with a vengeance. My back arches when he hits me just right, causing my inner walls to clench wildly around his throbbing girth. I let out a snarling growl, unable to find enough air to call out.

He doesn't stop, he just keeps pumping until I'm whimpering against the onslaught of my orgasm ripping through my tired body, tearing my tortured spirit into a thousand pieces. "Riddick…I can't stop…it won't stop." I manage in a choked voice and feel as though my body will remain rigid until he stops.

"Hold onto me." He growls in the most sensual, husky voice. I do as he says and wrap my arms around his neck, holding on for dear life. The next thing I know he lets out a deep, mind blowing snarl and suddenly slams every inch of his thickness deep into my core causing me to find my voice and scream out like a mad woman.

Slamming, pumping, harder and faster until I feel as though I'm going to lose the ability to breathe, let alone think. My back is being dragged against the hard floor as his immense weight presses wildly against my smaller body. I gasp, choke, and nearly cry out again when his mouth suffocates the sound with a brutal kiss of possession, his cock pushing so far and so deep inside of me I'm literally consumed by the continuous assault of an orgasm that just won't seem to stop. Wave upon wave of ecstasy throwing me over the edge of oblivion, my mind floating somewhere within the bowels of space and all I can feel is him, within me, moving, diving, breaking my spirit. Taking over me.

I feel him pulse wildly and instinctively clench down with the last of my lingering strength. I feel the rumble before his head falls back and the most intense roar booms away from his gaping jaws as a searing heat fills the sanctuary of my womb. I'm suddenly howling with him, our voices echoing through the darkness as I cum hard one last time, with him, all over him as he empties his white hot seed into the depths of my core. Branding me, claiming me…making me his.

Panting, choking on bittersweet air…he collapses against me, his cock pulsing and twitching within my walls, connected, closer then he's ever been before. I feel as though I'm drifting through the air, weightless, thoughtless, the pain once overwhelming now a mere whisper on the lips of watchful angels. I'm completely and utterly drained of all energy. The taste of his blood dancing on my lips, the sweat dripping onto my face as he looks down into my eyes. Searching, deep, understanding…amazed. My mouth is dry, jaws agape as I match his heavy gaze.

Before I have the chance to speak, he bends down and leaves a trembling kiss on my lips. Then words, so simple and yet so powerful, slam against my mind, rendering me defenseless against him.

"I Love You Too Baby…"

Suddenly…everything blurs as the embrace of unconsciousness takes hold of my scattered thoughts, and lulls me into a dreamless, much needed sleep.

**-End Chapter Twenty-Nine-**


	30. Chapter 30:: Forgotten Realms

**::Her Perspective::**

I was asleep, until a few minutes ago when I was awoken by the sound of rushing water. My world is hazy, almost washed out through a milky film of exhaustion and pain. I'm sitting up on the toilet, my back is resting against its base. Riddick is working the water in the shower as steam begins to billow quietly above our heads. I'm not sure if I'm all here. Disconnected, drifting in and out of the world around me. Parts of my mind are scattered, broken, my soul writhing with a strange essence. What's happening to me? I don't feel weak…but there's something off. Must be the pulsing… It's starting to match my heartbeat as the blood flows freely through my veins. I can't really describe it. I do know one thing's for certain… After what happened in the dojo… Things have definitely changed. I can't believe that all happened. I've never been in a physical fight in my life. I've always been able to avoid them by speaking and calming down the situation. Fighting has always terrified me to the point where I would just freeze. When I was a little girl I was beaten on ruthlessly because I was different from everyone else. I never fit in, and when I tried to I ended up getting beaten down even harder. I hate violence, with a passion. So you can imagine how seriously fucked up I feel right now.

I can't believe how I easily defended myself. I wasn't thinking about the fact that I may be hurting him, or have myself hurt or even killed for that matter. And what creeps me out as well as amazes me is that I actually **did** defend myself. I did things I've only seen in movies. I moved in ways I never thought I could. The way I reacted, the precise angle to strike… It's almost like I had become someone else… That everything I've ever seen in movies, television and read in books just emerged from the depths of my mind and my body instinctively knew how to use it…and I wasn't afraid. I think that's what got me through it. I faced my fear…well with the aid of my beast. Now that's another thing. Maybe there's something in this ship that Riddick brought with him that doesn't exist in my dimension. Maybe it's an energy, a life force that allows for the things we can only dream about, write about or see in movies…exist. That alone is an extremely scary thought.

That also brings me back to my original terror. That wormhole. It's going to spit us out in a bad place. I know it. I can feel it seeping through the intricate fibers of my bones. I also know that I'll recognize it when it happens. It's almost like something is warning me, readying me for what's to come. I know for a fact I'll be the only one that will know how to figure it out and anticipate what will happen next… I don't know about you, but I really don't like knowing that I have that kind of responsibility weighing heavily on my shoulders. Isn't this supposed to be one of those stories you hear about, where the Dashing Male saves the day? Not the confused Female? It's not fair. I don't want to be the hero, that's someone else's job. I like being me… I don't want this fate. And if I have to I'll fight it for as long as it takes. I had a normal life, mundane and boring compared to what I have now… But it was simple and not confusing or terrifying. I guess when you make a wish for something better…you should really be careful before you open your mouth. The saying must be true then… Be careful what you wish for, because you might not like what you get.

"How…" I'm suddenly stopped by the sharp pain in my jaw and bring my right hand to my mouth, as though unconsciously trying to stop the thundering agony swelling under the tender flesh. With a sharp intake of air I force myself to whisper through the blinding pain as my eyes begin to tear up from the waves of nasty electricity going through my jaws. "How…long…was…I…out…?"

Riddick turns and I find my personal onslaught of agony vanish as I look over his battered expression. Dried blood is present over his left cheek, mouth and chin. I swallow back the sudden dryness in my throat when four feline claw marks, each a deep slash of anger, line the left side of his cheek bone. It physically hurts me to see what I've done… Knowing that those four rakes of defense will become scars of my own handy work.

His words bring my eyes away from the battle wounds and into his gentle gaze. "Only a few hours, maybe six tops. Don't try to talk baby, keep your strength. You're going to need it." He explains in a hoarse voice and kneels down in front of me, looking into my concerned eyes. "Hey…" His hand reaches up and pushes a few wild strands away from my face and curls them behind my ear with his index finger. "Wanna know a secret?"

I tilt my head slightly to the right and raise my brows in question. I try to form a smile but the muscles in my face scream out in protest. A smile, one that would bring tears to the heavens and silence to the sunrise, dances across the valley of his full lips and for a moment, I realize… That I have no will of my own. "You were amazing last night." I feel a sudden rush of heat hit my face as I try to look away and hear him chuckle as he uses his fingers, very gently mind you, to lift my chin up to meet his gaze. "When you fought me. Granted I wasn't in control, but I did see and hear everything. You've got some balls kid. I never thought you had that kind of fire in you… Never knew you had it in you to move like that. You kept the beast on his toes and baby…that's a very hard thing to do."

Against my better judgment I make myself reply, even if it's sending torturous ripples of my pain through the nerve endings of my face. "If he comes out again…he'll be able to anticipate my every move. I won't get lucky again. He'll kill me."

His brows furrow as he lets out a sigh. "You don't know do you?"

I give him an odd look. "Know what?"

A smirk dances on the corner of his mouth. "You beat him into submission. He's your subordinate now. Which means, he doesn't do a thing unless you tell him to. You proved your dominance honey."

"You've gotta be shittin' me. Stop playin' Riddick it's not funny."

"I'm serious Onyx." He says truthfully and causes my mouth to hang open with a shocked expression on my tired face. "You're the Alpha and you beat him. You used your mind to win."

"Maybe I'm just not awake enough or something but I'm still not getting this…"

"Onyx, you did the one thing that completely blind sided him." He pauses and looks into my confused gaze and is suddenly kissing me with a tenderness that seems to threaten to take every last bit of my sanity with it. I'm lost…helpless as he gently pulls away, leaving a sting on my lips. His voice is low and husky, an enchanting growl that fills my mind with it's deep caress. "You told me you loved me…"

My eyes hooded, as though my soul has just drank of the most forbidden of wine, I let my gaze fall on his and give him a sheepish smile, unable to control the warm and fuzzy feeling filling my stomach. I can see it sparkling there, twinkling like the brightest star in a pitch black sky, lighting my way… Leading me to a place where I'll always be safe. A sanctuary, a protection against all bad the things in my life… A home, hidden within the depths of his eyes. Where my heart lies…

"And I meant it Riddick." My voice is a whisper as a single tear of pure joy dances wildly down the bruised flesh of my cheek. "I do…Love you."

I watch the muscles in his jaw twitch as he swallows hard, his blue silver fire gaze misting with liquid warmth. "And I Love You… My wildcat." He replies and kisses me again, even softer this time. He doesn't pull away as quickly before but lingers, letting our hearts entangle each other with an unknown essence of acceptance…of unity. Drowning in each others untied energy, stirring up a power that's always been dormant…until now. The most powerful force in all existence…love.

Breaking away, he lets me hold onto him as he helps me onto my feet. "Come on baby…let's get you cleaned up." He announces in the dangerous octave of unrestrained desire. One that would literally cause my soul to run a one hundred meter race in the span of ten seconds. I doubt he'll ever know the effect he has on me with Just his voice. He'd make me swoon just reading Green Eggs and Ham… Talk about pathetic…he turns me into a human ball of squish, unable to build a single rational thought. Damn him and his sex appeal of doom.

"Easy now, don't force yourself to go faster then you're capable of doing right now. Slow steps. Nice and easy…" He explains and eases my sore, and now that I notice it, naked body into the shower. For that matter, I didn't even realize that he was also naked. Man, I must be really tired if I didn't notice That tiny little detail… Well I wouldn't call it tiny… In fact, it's anything but tiny. It's… Wait what the hell am I doing? Sex Bad right now. Shower Good. Just like Fire Bad, Tree Pretty… Man I need some strong coffee after this if I'm going to work with a full deck. Right now I've got the card with the instructions on it and a joker…yup. Fire Bad, Tree Pretty.

I'm suddenly engulfed in blessed liquid heat, raining over me in waves of muscle relaxing warmth. I let out a sigh and close my eyes, enjoying the wonder that is water as it washes away the soreness of my battered form.

"Feels good huh?" Riddick chimes with a deep chuckle and I merely nod, wrapped up in this moment of tingling bliss. I'm just standing here, my mind fluttering away from me on the wings of contentment when I feel his hands smooth over my shoulders and down my arms, tenderly exploring the softness of my skin. "You're really soft you know that?" He says in a low voice and suddenly his touch is gone.

I open my eyes and watch the swirls of steam billow around his larger frame and lift into the humid air above our heads as he gets this sponge thing, looks like a shower scrunchy you'd use to scrub your skin with, and adds a weird smelling liquid soap, squeezes and I watch fascinated, as it foams with tiny blue bubbles. I get a whiff of it's scent as he brings it towards me and shake my head in protest. "Jesus Riddick what is that? It smells like a hospital." I bark and watch him shake his head with a smirk.

"Turn your back to me so I can start washing you. And no arguing, got it?"

"Fine." I pout with a smile flickering in my eyes as I do as he says and face away from him.

The second the soap hits my skin I yelp as it stings my flesh. He has his left arm around me, his left hand palm flat against top of my chest, just beneath my collarbone, keeping me still as his right hand begins washing my back. I'm not gonna lie, this shit burns! I feel like my back was dragged over jagged concrete, almost like someone used a cheese grater on me, and now I'm being scrubbed down with rubbing alcohol.

"Riddick stop. It's burning!" I cry out softly but he doesn't stop.

"It's going to sting baby. Just grit your teeth and hold onto me."

"Fuck that, just stop and I'll use my soap!"

"Onyx do you want painful rug burns on your back for the next week?" He pauses when I shut up and grab onto his arm, deciding to just accept it because frankly…I'll never win. "Take slow, deep breaths and try to push it out of your head."

I murmur under my breath, "how can I when it stings…"

He cuts me off. "Stop focusing on the pain and focus on healing. Do me a favor and work with me, I'm not doing this to be a dick."

I let out a sigh in defeat. "I know…I'm just tired and everything is starting to really fucking hurt."

"You think I like seeing you in pain? The answer to that is obviously no. This hospital smelling shit is the only thing that will trigger your body's defenses to react faster. Cutting healing time in half. I know you don't want to be in pain for a week, am I right?"

"Yea…" I reply softly and clench my teeth as he finishes scrubbing the rest of my back, which of course was stupid because now my jaw is throbbing.

Minutes fly by but feel like an eternity as he washes every inch of my body carefully. And I'm not kidding when I say every Inch. He even went as far as shampooed and conditioned my hair for me without me having to ask him to. Hell Riddick even knew exactly how to do it. I swear this man continues to amaze me. But I guess that's what you get when you're boyfriend is Riddick. Heh…that's a funny thought. Boyfriend. Can't really call him that. He's not a boy. I always found that term a little pointless. So I guess I've got to find a better term to use when I address him as my…what? Love Monkey? HA! I'm sure he'll appreciate that if I say that to him… _Fire Bad…Tree Pretty… Gods I need coffee._

"Go ahead and get out baby, get dry and I'll meet you in the bedroom okay?" Riddick says while helping me rinse the rest of my hair.

"I need to brush my teeth first." I announce and see him smile when I wipe the water from my eyes. "What?" I ask and watch his smile brighten. "What, did I miss something?"

"No it's nothing like that…" He replies softly looks into my eyes with a hazy expression of puppy love dancing over his face. Riddick takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, "you're just…so beautiful… I can't help but just gaze at you."

I'm suddenly feeling very small as his words touch my soul. "You shouldn't say things like that just to make me feel better." I say trying to brush it off as him just trying to charm me as my eyes fall to the drain beneath my feet.

I watch him step closer, his feet looking massive compared to my much smaller ones. "Onyx…" I feel his hands gently cup the sides of my face, raising my eyes to meet his. "I'm being honest and you Are very beautiful. But you don't see that because you don't see yourself the way I that I do." he peers into my eyes as though searching the depths of my soul and kisses my forehead. "Try not to be so negative, you should have a little more confidence in yourself."

I quirk a brow at his statement as his eyes find mine. "You never seize to amaze me Richard."

That infamous Riddick grin devours his mouth as he puffs up like a proud chicken. "What can I say, I'm just full of surprises"

I shake my head with a smile and smack him playfully on the arm before stepping out of the open shower stall. "You're such a dork." I chuckle, give him one last, longing look and close the shower door behind me and step onto the small shower mat. My stomach is filled with a swarm of butterflies. I swear they've just had a fifth of rum and got directions from a blind sugar glided hyped up on caffeine. Talk about some internal chaos from lovesick hell. Heh…drunk butterflies…that's funny.

_Fire Bad…Tree Pretty…he…he…he._

Brushing my teeth is more of a challenge… Not because I'm in pain, or for the simple fact that the glass is fogged up, but because I'm standing here staring at the sink counter, remembering the events that last took place… Right here… Right in front of me. I let out a sigh and shake my head, hoping that maybe the motion with shake around the memories in my head like unwanted marbles, discarding them in random directions, hoping they fall in the gutter. Even though the gutter of my mind is currently off limits…

Once my mind is somewhat clear, I make the mistake of wiping away some of the misty film on the mirror in front of me. And the person I see, is not what I need to be looking at right now. Well, now I know why my jaw hurts so fucking much. My mouth is puffy, with a nice hue of black and blue surrounded in red just on the edge of my chin. I look like I was just in one nasty old fashioned saloon fight. Thankfully, no black eyes. One thing I've always thought weird about myself, I never once had a black eye. Even when I knew I should have, nope. Not once. The skin still stings, reminding me that my nerves have me on the top of their shit list right now. I force myself to stop gawking at myself like a kid that just walked into a toy museum and start brushing my teeth. Oh now this is fun… Fucking toothpaste just made my cheek tingle with small sparks of unwelcome electricity. Ow damn it. Now I know why I just spit out some blood. I bit through my cheek. Great.

I finish quickly and leave the bathroom, padding softly on my feet into the bedroom. "I need to get dressed." I say to myself and think of something to put on that won't take too much effort. A thought hits me and I'm already across the room, my hands holding a pair of comfortable looking pants and a snug black tank top that looks like something Riddick wears on a regular basis. I pad over to the bed and miraculously find a bra hanging on the edge of the bed as if saying to me, 'Pick me! Pick me!' if inanimate objects could talk of course.

Not caring if I'm still a little damp I toss the towel onto the bed and slip on the bra. My back screams out in protest as I reach my arms back to latch the small hooks into place. I keep my mouth closed tight as I will the pain to back the fuck off. Once the bra is secured, I shimmy my way into the pants and tilt my head back, looking up at the ceiling as my skin pulses and throbs in angry waves. I suck in a breath, zip the pants and button them in place. Breathing in controlled bursts, I finally slip the black tank over my head and slide it easily down my upper body. As I do this, the pain just becomes a blur and I find myself adjusting with a weird sense of being numb. Knowing that I should be doubled over, but I'm completely balanced on my feet. Yea…weird.

I hear the shower shut off, few seconds roll by, then the bathroom sink starts and I can hear him brushing his teeth. "Want me to start coffee?" I ask in a booming voice and watch him Fill the doorway, a towel wrapped just beneath his sculpted, narrow hips. The end of his toothbrush sticking out of the corner of his mouth as a funny smiles stretches his lips. "I'll take that as a yes." I say with a giggle and walk out into the corridor towards the kitchen.

*******half an hour later*******

"So…I don't have to do anything but sit here and hold on?" I ask as calm as physically possible as Riddick remains comfortably seated to my left in the Pilot's chair.

"Hold on and just enjoy the ride." He replies working the panel like an expert. I watch his large hands move gracefully over screens and a variety of glowing buttons as the vastness of space engulfs the large viewing screen above the controls. I feel my breath fade away as I just stare at the sight before us.

A swirling mass of soundless energy, twisting in and out of itself with a spectrum of luminescent colors gliding, blending. That bad feeling creeps up the back of my spine as my hands grip the edge of the arm rests of my chair, the cold sweat building just within my palms. This mass of energy, moving, churning, endless is seems… Almost as though it's a creature without any real form or structure, waiting to devour us. Consume us and let us slide down its throat into the belly of the unknown. I'm suddenly no longer taken aback by the sheer beauty of it… It's starting to work my nerves, scare me with its ominous presence… Like that of some sleeping giant, just waiting to open its jaws and swallow us whole.

"**Ten seconds until wormhole entry." **

I hear the ship's mechanical female voice spout out and feel my heart pound within my chest.

"**Ten…Nine…Eight…Seven…Six…Five…Four…Three…Two…One. Initiating auto drive sequence."**

The voice exclaims and I watch as the wormhole seems to blossom with tendrils of brilliantly colored streams of energy, reaching out, taking hold of us. I go to take a deep breath when suddenly time…stops. Everything is silent, unmoving… As though we're trapped in some strange moment of suspension. Unable to move, unable to think. The blink of an eye seems to take an eternity as everything goes out of focus. I watch everything stretch out in front of me, my body bending in odd angles and yet I'm completely motionless. The stars seem to fill the room, light and sound leaving strange trails, echoes of their presence as my heart makes a single pump… I can feel my blood slow to a crawl, my mind bending in on itself, my soul escaping the pupils of my eyes in a kaleidoscope of strange shapes and pictures… Memories bleeding out before me, scattered, drifting, fluttering around the twisting swirl of eternity set out before me… Devouring me. As the slow, agonizing crawl of terror rears its unwanted head…

"You alright?"

I finally blink and realize…it's over. Just like that. It seemed like forever…but it wasn't even a blink. It was… "What the hell just happened?" I say with my mouth hung open, my eyes probably reminding Riddick of a dear in headlights.

I look over at him, completely dumbfounded and watch him give me a proud smile. "That was your first successful jump. Congratulations Onyx. You're officially a star jumper."

"Oh…" Is all I can say when I realize something… "Wait, successful? Does that mean we could have…?"

He cuts me off before I can finish my thought. "We're alive and that's all that matters. Besides, nothing to worry about okay? This ship was made for this kind of travel."

_Fire Bad…Tree Pretty… _My mind spats as I fall back into my chair and just stare open mouthed at the viewing screen. "I need a drink…"

**-End Chapter Thirty-**


	31. Chapter 31:: Hidden Knowledge

**::Her Perspective::**

I feel backwards. Almost as though I've just gone through the spin cycle in a washing machine. It's more of a mental unbalance then anything else. My equilibrium is working properly, no ringing in my ears, no sense of nausea. I just feel…weird. Same feeling as being dropped only to find yourself unmoved. I guess that's normal when your molecules have been torn apart and put back together in the matter of half a second. I hope I never have to go through that again. Well…unless one day, we find another wormhole that'll take me home. Even though I highly doubt that'll ever happen. And that's somewhat depressing…knowing that I'll never go home again. I wish I could shut off the part of my brain that continues to question everything. It would be a lot easier if I only had two brain cells fighting for dominance. But then again, I wouldn't have this amazing new life, what ever it may be.

I pull my hand away from my face and gaze at the viewing screen. I'm not really focusing on anything specific when I get that horrible slithering feeling again. This time it feels like an electrical charge, throbbing off and on as it makes its way through my spine. I don't want to think about it, so I try to ignore it as just my body trying to regain its composure. But it doesn't stop…in fact, it only gets worse.

"Do we have anything strong enough to make my head spin?" I ask and look over at Riddick who just has that slight smirk eating at the edge of his lips. "Seriously, I think I deserve to get smashed."

"Let me set the ship's main computer to autopilot and I'll see what I can do." Riddick replies, does that magician thing with his hands over the various buttons, screens and panels along the main panel and then gets to his feet. I watch him in silence, almost marveling at him as he closes the short distance between us and offers me his hand. "Com'on sugar, let's see what Daddy's got in the kitchen."

I can't help but let out a laugh and take his hand. "Riddick…only you can say something so fucking ridiculous and make it sound sexy." I chuckle and get to my feet, his eyes peering at me in such a way I swear he's already setting up plans to ravage me.

Walking past the main deck, he leads me into the kitchen and has me standing here waiting next to the counter. I watch him go through several cupboards until he makes a grunting sound, which I'm sure is the equivalent of excitement, and brings over a bottle. I furrow my brows, trying to get a better look of the label-less bottle of dark red liquid as he takes out too shot glasses. I sigh, arms crossed under my bust and just wait, becoming more impatient as Riddick seems to be dragging this out.

"Half a shot will do for now." He exclaims and pours the dark liquid into each shot glass, sets the bottle on the counter and hands me one. "Here, now something to remember…"

I don't even listen to the rest of his sentence when I throw my head back and let the liquid slip down my throat, enjoying the way it burns me as it goes down. I let out a rush of air, look into his eyes and smile brightly. "Damn that's some good shit!" I pause when his facial expression hits me. I bite my bottom lip, let out a soft snort, while trying desperately to keep the onslaught of laughter hidden in my chest.

"I was going to say that this is probably too strong for you…" He blinks a few times, his intense brow raised in amusement while taking my shot glass. "I guess not."

I lick my lips and feel a slight blush to my cheeks, already enjoying the warmth of the whiskey like taste of the alcohol. Sure it stings like a bitch when it hits your tongue, but it almost tastes like peppermint, and cinnamon. I don't know where he got this shit but damn does it do the job. "It probably is, but at the moment, I just don't care." I reply and watch him shake his head at me.

"You'll get a full shot this time…"

I cut him off by stealing the bottle out of his hands and just go ahead and take two very Large gulps. Once I'm certain my tongue is numb enough, I let out a rush of air and hand him back the bottle. "I'm good thanks." I manage to whisper as the heat continues to ripple through my throat.

Riddick looks at the bottle, looks at me and shrugs. "Why not?" He says with a smile and chugs down a few gulps of his own. And the funny part about this is…I never realized a man could look so incredibly sexy with his head tilted back, exposing his muscular neck as he swallows. I'm standing here, a slight haze flowing over my vision as he sets the bottle back on the counter and turns back to me, with the biggest shit-eating-grin on his face.

"You're fuckin' sexy you know that?" I blurt out, not really caring if I'm making an ass out of myself. In fact, I think that shit hit me a great deal harder then I expected. Good thing I only drank enough to get me really tipsy and not completely trashed. I know how to control my liquor consumption now… Unlike when I was younger and would drink enough to put a group of sailors to shame. Only to get up and then proceed to remove the contents of my stomach, in a very unpleasant, violent motion. Drinking the two big gulps will get me nice and loose…I think it's already workin'. _Tehehe…fire bad, tree pretty… I like bubbles…_

"No more for you." He says with a chuckle and actually puts the bottle away and rinses the small shot glasses off in the sink. Setting them on counter, he doesn't notice that I've somehow managed to get myself on top of the kitchen table without making a sound. Hell even I'm surprised!

I lick my lips, and figure…_why not? I'll just use the alcohol as an excuse…tehehe. _"Com'ere." I say with a sultry tone and motion to him with my fingers in a very come hither way. Yea…I think it hit me a lot more then I had expected…but who cares? All I see is Hot sexy man beast, and what I see is what I want. And I want it _**now**_…

He saunters up to me, with this gait that has my heart fluttering like a hyper squirrel stuck in a cardboard box. I bite hard into my bottom lip, remembering I should be feeling pain, but I don't…which is nice. He's suddenly right in front of me, taking my legs in his large hands and nonchalantly placing them around his hips. I giggle as he presses hard against me, his arms placed flat on the table on either side of my body.

"Yes kitten?" His voice…oh my gods his voice…is so incredibly low and husky I feel like it just licked me in all the right places.

"I uh…" I blink, suddenly feeling as big as a speck of dust and swallow the dry lump in the back of my throat. The look on his face right now makes me feel like a tiny little bunny waiting to be devoured by a bear. "You've got really full lips."

And just as I say it, he makes a point, to run his tongue along those delicious lips and gives me a devilish grin that could cause an entire fleet of angels to fall from the heavens. "You like'em huh?" He growls in a deep husky tone and leans forward, only to brush those lips against mine. "What would you like me to do with them?"

_Oh gods…oh boy…um…uh… _My brain spats as I feel my breath trying to run away from me as I feel his heat all around me. I also realize that I'm being poked…_oh gods… _I suck in a sharp intake of air and feel my body sway a little. What the hell was in that bottle? Liquid sex?? "Riddick…baby…love of my life." I begin with a voice that even sounds adorable to me… Yea you know you're drunk when you start to like yourself. "What the hell was in that bottle?"

"Peppermint Schnapps." He replies in between kisses, so soft, so tender… I'm so not going to make it through this without ravaging him.

"That…" He kisses me a little harder, lingers a little longer, as though trying to stop me from speaking altogether. "…was not peppermint Schnapps. I've had peppermint Schnapps, and that doesn't taste anything like it." I say as his mouth begins trailing down my chin, kissing the bruises gently, then continues down to the left side of my neck, teasing me with his tongue and teeth.

I feel the vibration of it before he lets the growl escape his lips that are currently pressed against the vulnerable flesh of my neck. "It's been upgraded."

I hear myself moaning as he nibbles and taunts me with just his mouth, turning the blood within my veins into a liquid fire. I can't think straight, hell I don't even want to. I just want to Feel. Him, inside of me, filling me. Taking over me.

He brings his lips back to mine and gently pry's my mouth open with his tongue, slowly, carefully asking for permission. I moan against him and allow him access, wrapping my arms around his neck. Our lips meet as he nibbles, swelling my lips even more with blood. I tease him back with taunting half kisses and hear a guttural growl slither through his chest when I gently bite down into his top lip playfully. I can still taste the peppermint and cinnamon lingering on his tongue as it slides slowly against mine, curling and pulling away, begging my body to react, to become ready.

"Let go baby…" He purrs in a devastating baritone and slowly pulls away, unwrapping my legs from his waist. I blink a few times in silent curiosity as his fingers begin to unfasten my pants. I let out a soft yelp in surprise as he uses one hand to lift my ass off the table, and the other to pull my pants free of my body, leaving my most sensitive of areas fully exposed. I gulp when he places the pants on a chair behind him and unfastens his own, with a quick movement of his left hand, while his right stays placed on my left thigh. I watch in utter fascination as his pants fall to his ankles, allowing his thick cock to pop into my sight. It's entire length stands proud and twitches slightly as though saying, 'Why…hello there.'

I go to sit up when his right hand crawls up to my chest and gently pushes down, forcing me on my back. I find myself gasping when he crouches down in front of me and takes in a very deep breath of the scent that's flowing from the sensitive folds of my pussy. Just the feeling of his hot breath hitting my flesh causes electricity to stream through my body, causing my inner sanctuary to become sticky with a wet, wanting heat. My body is no longer my own as I feel his tongue, long and hot, slide from top to bottom along the quivering flesh only to suddenly sink hard and deep into my tunnel.

My body arches as his tongue, like that of a viper, slithers in and out, stops and is suddenly trailing small feather like circles around my swollen clit. "Oh gods…" I moan aloud and feel my legs and hips quiver and shake on their own accord, defenseless against this amazing onslaught of sensation. He's licking and nibbling, causing my body to buck and writhe, but his hand is still placed firmly on top of me, now on my stomach, keeping me still. I'm suddenly struck with a bolt of sexual lightening when he growls, Literally GROWLS deep and loud into my folds and I feel like all the lights in my brain just went on at once, exploded and now I'm trapped in a mental black out where the only thing I know, think, or feel his _**him.**_

"Riddick…" I hear myself whimper, my eyes clenched tightly shut when I'm completely held in waves of ecstasy, hitting me, each one stronger then the next, devouring, consuming. I can't breathe, my chest is tight, my lungs have seem to shut down altogether. There is nothing, just sensation, flooding me, breaking the fine lines of my sanity, rippling through me as though I were made of the very wind itself. I'm floating, weightless, lost in a mist of desire, pleasure my only need, swimming through me, fading in and out of consciousness as though I've become a shadow within the embrace of space itself. Lost…

I feel him lick the juices that flow freely from the trembling folds and sense him stand and bend over me, the slight pressure of his girth just teasing the entrance. I have no energy or will left in me to respond, move or even create a coherent thought as he easily slips deep within. However, I'm brought back to the present at the slight sting of him stretching me. The one thing I've always hated…being so naturally fucking tight. "I hate my body." I growl between my teeth as he hovers over me, moving ever so slightly, not wanting to cause anymore pain. For such a large, powerful and extremely dangerous man, he's amazing gentle when it comes to me…

"Don't talk baby…I just want you to enjoy it." I hear him growl softly against the right side of my neck as he begins pumping into me, in a slow, sensual rhythm.

"I feel…like I'm on fire." I gasp in choked voice as the waves begin to crash harder, taking over every last inch of my being with an unknown primal essence.

Suddenly the feeling changes, becoming more… Becoming deeper then just physical satisfaction. It's almost familiar, natural, a connection from deep within. I can almost feel his soul, deafening, powerful, a light of electric blue, pulsing, alive, welcoming. Calling out to me as the sensations become more intense, chaotic, his body dipping, seeping into me, flesh on flesh, gentle yet demanding. He's growling, panting, pushing and pulling, his essence expanding the connection, awakening the darkness within, blinding, hungry. I'm afraid to open my eyes, to see what may be looking back at me. But something from the depths of my eternal being whispers that I should open them… That I must see.

As my eyes flutter open I can see him… I can see Riddick, as no one has ever seen him.

We're completely engulfed in a pulsing glow of ethereal blue. It's encasing us in a protective orb of light, swirling, loving, connecting us. I feel my heart cry out, only to be met with another sound, a return by his heart, calling out into the darkness, howling as though two wolves are being seduced by the very moon itself.

I feel him begin to quiver and hear his voice but it's so far away. "Onyx…" His voice is broken, harsh and deep, as though man and beast have become a single entity. I feel his grip behind my hand struggling, trembling as his hips pound a little harder, a little faster. Pain and pleasure mixed with an intense waterfall of soul wrenching desire, mixing, churning, causing the walls to fall.

Suddenly…everything goes black…and I'm nothing more then a whisper in a crowd of screams…

****20 Minutes Later****

I wake up to the sound of an alarm. The ship's voice blaring over and over.

"**Warning, approaching unknown system."**

"Come on babe, let's get to the bridge." Riddick says in front of me and helps me up from the edge of the table. I look down and realize we're both fully clothed again.

I walk, half dazed, half awake as he leads me into the bridge and sits me down next the pilot's seat. He sits himself down and starts going over the panel, when the main screen flashes on, giving us a view in front of the ship. I narrow my eyes and see a planet, ominous, almost monstrous in a sense. I shift in my seat and spot something in the viewing screen. Suddenly that old, wriggling, terrible sensation of fear begins to devour my senses and I find myself narrowing my eyes at familiar shapes. At a steady pace, the ship continues forward and my mind begins to unravel and churn as memories dance through the intricate web of my brain. There's something about that planet…is that a spec in front of it? Wait a second… Is that a ship? Wait no…it can't be. That can't be what I think it is… Is it?

"Hey Riddick…"

"Yes babe?" He says and looks toward me, but notices that my eyes are forward, locked on something within the viewing screen. "Looks like a ship orbiting a nearby planet."

"Can we get a lock on that ship and find out what it's orbiting?" I ask and get out of my seat, rising slowly, feeling my blood run wild with amazement. The massive ship isn't that far away from us now, as it just floats within the embrace of space, acting like a satellite would to the large planet covered in what seems to be atmospheric clouds. My brain instantly recognizes the design of the ship as we get closer. It's enormous!

"Oh my god…" I murmur and watch as the giant gun like vessel slips perfectly into the viewing screen. Before I can stop my mouth, the words spill away from me. "It's the Sulaco."

Riddick raises his head when the viewing screen cuts in half, the left side showing the computer's downloaded input while the right side remains locked onto the Ship.

----------------------------------------------------------------

**U.S.S. Sulaco Specifications**

**Crew:** 90 to 2000

**Engine:** Westingland A-59 Fusion Reactor

**Dimensions**  
**Length:** 385 m  
**Weight:** 78,000 m tons

**Fuel Consumption:** 900 m tons/year

The U.S.S. Sulaco is the thirteenth Conestoga Class starship that was originally a troop and logistic transport with limited defense capability. It has a heavy armored hull and has run several roles from bombardment to space command and control. The ship is fully automated and could keep running without a crew. The ship contains lockers for the passengers to store their belongings in and racks for their equipment. There is a large Docking Bay which is where the UD4L Dropships are prepared and deployed, and a Mess Hall where passengers can eat food prepared by the ship's Autochef. The Cryogenics Compartment contains thousands of capsules which sustain passengers on long missions. Each ship carries twenty E.E.V.'s (Emergency Escape Vehicles) and a minimum of two UD4L Dropships.

----------------------------------------------------------------

He says nothing to me as I raise my hand to my mouth… "Riddick, is there a way you can find out the crew information?" I finally manage to look at him and watch him give me a curious look. "Please it's important." _This is all wrong…why is this happening? This can't be happening… Not this dimension. Gods please tell me that's not what I think it is. Please let the crew different. Let this be a bad dream. Please…_

"Your call Onyx." He replies and starts typing in the right information with me standing to his right, feeling like I've just woken up into a nightmare.

"Please let this be a bad dream." I think aloud in a tremble of a voice and watch as once again, the screen to the left spills out information and I feel like my entire world has just shattered. "You've gotta be fucking kidding me…"

----------------------------------------------------------------

**Rank ****Name Occupation **  
**Lieutenant** **----------- **Ripley **----------** Consultant  
**N/A -------------------- **Carter Burke --- Company Representative  
**Executive Officer -- **Bishop ---------- A.P.C. Driver/Dropship Pilot  
**Lieutenant** ----------- Gorman --------- Unit Leader  
**Master Sergeant --- **Apone ---------- Unit Leader  
**Corporal** -------------- Hicks ------------ B-Team Leader  
**Corporal --------------** Dietrich --------- Med-Tech  
**Private 1st Class --- **Hudson --------- Com-Tech  
**Private 1st Class --- **Vasquez -------- 'Smartgun' Operator  
**Private ----------------- **Drake ----------- 'Smartgun' Operator  
**Private -----------------** Frost ------------- Trooper  
**Private** ----------------- Crowe ------------ Trooper  
**Private -----------------** Wierzbowski --- Trooper  
**Corporal ---------------** Ferro ------------- Dropship Pilot  
**Private 1st Class ---- **Spunkmeyer ---- Dropship Crew Chief

----------------------------------------------------------------

I feel my knees give and I'm suddenly collapsed onto the floor in a slump. I'm rocking back and forth, my brain going off in different directions as I just sit here, completely in shock. Placing my head in my hands, I press hard against my temples and pull my hands away.

"This shit just keeps gettin' better and better." I announce in a half hysterical laugh and look over to Riddick. "You're not going to believe this…"

"Enlighten me." He replies and crouches down before me, a look of concern shimmering behind the metallic blue mercury pools of his luminescent gaze.

"Uh…" I begin and search my thoughts, sensing the alcohol slowly fading and my adrenaline rising. "Well… I don't know if it exists in your dimension, but have ever heard of something called a Xenomorph?" He gives me an odd look and I try to reword it a little better. "Maybe a series of movies…called Aliens?"

"You mean with that Rambo-ina chick? Yeah I know of that film, old classic, bad ass plot line." Riddick replies and a slow realization dawns across his intense features. "Why…what are you saying?"

I take a deep breath and feel the bile rise in the back of my throat. "Well… If I'm correct… We're about to meet her in person."

**-End Chapter Thirty-One-**


	32. Chapter 32:: Fall In Line

**::Her Perspective::**

Riddick is looking at me in surprise, but with understanding as well. He knows that this was possible, somehow, that anything with **me** in the equation is possible. It's almost as if…and even though I seriously hate to admit this…I may very well have caused this. I don't know how, but I can feel it. Wriggling within me, wanting to break the skin, taste the surface, no matter how hard I try to bury it… I'll never win. What the hell is happening? And now… I feel different again. Like that inner darkness is somehow becoming stronger, gaining mass, gaining form… I'm starting to get worried.

What if taking me away from my world, my universe, my dimension… Has broken something that was protecting me. Okay, sounds fuckin' crazy I know, but let's just say…theoretically, that there's this huge bubble of energy keeping all the things that go bump in the night, trapped. Unable to get through. And let's say, for instance, you pull an entity away, me for instance, from that protective bubble and it suddenly alters everything. Unleashes things…that should never have been allowed access into any kind of reality. And now that I'm no longer under its protection…I'm completely defenseless against the terrors that have been waiting…somewhere deep inside…for just a single taste of freedom.

What's an extremely frightening thought… Is what if, once again theoretically speaking, now that I'm no longer under my dimension's protection… What if nightmares can…come true? What if all the things ever written, thought, dreamt of, or turned into films… Can exist? This actually makes a scary kind of sense now that I'm letting myself really think about it. Everything I've ever been taught to believe about creatures and things that were only in my head… _Oh my god_… My species, at home, Right now… Wouldn't survive. Oh god what if this is like that movie… Sphere. Where the Three main characters, extremely intelligent, complex individuals come into contact with this Sphere at the bottom of the ocean… And what they don't realize until the very end, is that because they came into contact with this giant golden Sphere, they were given a tremendous gift. The gift of literal manifestation of anything they dream...

It gave them the ability to create things with their minds without them knowing it until the very end…

What if… Breaking the protective seal of my dimension is allowing me to do this, or for it to happen around me? But that doesn't make sense to me. I'm nothing special! I never have been. Sure I have my moments of brilliance but this is way beyond normal human comprehension. Maybe I need to look at this at a different angle. Say, for instance, that just my energy, now completely free of any restraints, is effecting everything and everyone around me. Causing things to become real, when I literally have no control over it. That it isn't entirely my fault.

At least…that's what I really want to believe. I don't want to be responsible for things I have absolutely no control over. This is like a ScFi, horror, mystery, romance, drama movie turned into a full course nightmare. And it's starting to really effect my ways of thinking. Of course, I always believed that anything was possible… But Xenomorphs? Ellen Ripley?? No… No this is someone's idea of a seriously fucked up joke. And I really don't find it all that funny.

"Onyx?"

I look up and realize that I've been rocking back and forth. "Oh…hey… Sorry." I whisper softly and give him a weak attempt at an apologetic smile.

I feel so fucking twisted up inside. I just don't know what to believe anymore…but I can't shut down. Not now…not when I Need to be more alert then I've ever been in my entire life. Even if I don't want this, no matter how much I just want to let everything go… I have to be strong. Doesn't matter what my fear is saying, I have to finally take charge, grit my teeth and take a fucking stand. No more running… No more letting shit slide. Because if what I feel is correct, I need to be incredibly thankful that I know every little detail about the movie Aliens that is now an actual reality. This knowledge may very well be the thing that saves us. And maybe I can save others…

"Can you stand?" He asks with his paw of a hand on my right arm, squeezing it in gentle reassurance.

"Yea, I think so." I reply softly and slowly ease up from the ground. "Thanks." I say as he makes sure I don't suddenly fall on my face. I'm sure I really need that right now…

"**Alert! Receiving transmission from U.S.S. Sulaco. Request for immediate response." **The main ship's computer exclaims in her emotionless voice and both Riddick and myself are standing right in front of the viewing screen.

"Can we share video feed? Or just vocal?" I ask and glance over to Riddick and notice the impressed smirk playing on the corners of his mouth. "What, you don't think I know something about this shit? Do you have any idea how many ScFi movies I've seen in my short lifetime??"

He shakes his head at me, the smirk growing into a smile. "You're incredibly cute sometimes…you know that?" He says with a bittersweet tone to his baritone voice and gently runs his fingers along my jaw line. The tender moment ends as quickly as it began as he shifts his attention to the panel. He begins speaking in a low tone, very much like a commanding officer would speak to his right hand man. "We don't know if they have video feed, so we'll go with vocal." He stops before pressing a green button and motions for me to sit in the pilot's chair. "You know more about this then I do, so by all means…"

I feel like the floor just gave way. "Wait, what? Oh no Riddick… This is your ship, you're the captain..."

He cuts me off by kissing my forehead. "Don't sweat it baby, I trust you…" As soon as I hear that dance away from his lips I gulp. I never thought that big bad, the man who does things strictly on his own, is allowing me to take the lead. Well it only makes sense, because I know exactly how things will be played out. We do share a link, and I can sense that he knows better then I do, that I can do this.

Gods I hope I can remain calm…

He motions for me to press the button and I do so, with a shaky hand and watch the viewing screen, to the left hand side, flash the words, **'Connection with U.S.S. Sulaco Initiated.' **

Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes and wait as a voice blares through the speakers just inside the main panel. **"This is Lieutenant Gorman of the United States Colonial Marines. I am hailing you from the U.S.S. Sulaco." **He begins and I feel my chest tighten with not only a gut wrenching excitement, but also fear. Holding my breath, he continues and I feel like I've been sucked into a twisted dream. **"Unknown vessel, do understand we have a lock on your position and we are asking you for a response. If you do not comply, we will be required to take offensive action."**

This where I learn…I've got balls made out of steel. "Lieutenant Gorman of the U.S.S. Sulaco, this is Co-Pilot Onyx of…" _Shit what the hell is this bitch called? Oh fuck it. _"…The Serenity. Permission to speak freely."

The com is silent for a moment.

"**Permission granted."**

"Thank you Lieutenant Gorman." I pause and look to Riddick very quickly and see a Very impressed look on his face. "I'm curious if I may speak to Lieutenant Ellen Ripley?"

The com is completely silent… _Oh god I hope I haven't just fucked this up. Even if…this feels like the right thing to do_. Suddenly I realize I've been holding my breath when I hear Gorman's voice fill the speakers, almost as though there is a hint of suspicion lying in his words.

"**What is the question?"**

"Well, you see… I have some information about your current mission… Important information about the Xenomorphs Sir."

_Oh man I seriously hope I didn't just fuck everything up._

"**After analyzing your ship, we require you to dock the U.S.S. Sulaco for further interaction. This is not a request."**

I swallow the hard lump that's suddenly clinging to the back of my throat. "Roger that. Thank you Gorman… You have no idea how much I appreciate this."

His voice replies quickly…with a tone that can only be described as shocked thanks. **"You…are welcome Onyx. Over and Out."**

The feed is cut off and Riddick motions for me to take the co-pilot's seat. I do so quickly, perhaps out of second nature without even thinking about it, and flop down into the semi-comfortable seat. A part of me is in that state of complete and utter amazement, while the other part of me is…extremely relieved. Before Riddick says anything I make a point to say, "no worries big guy. They no nothing about us, and seeing as we're from different dimensions, they'll have absolutely no idea about your criminal record. Hell if anything, they'll just see you as another soldier…like them."

My eyes watch the screen as we move towards the massive ship. I swear on everything I've ever known, that this bitch is bigger then anything I've ever seen when it comes to human made vehicles. I never imagined anything this enormous could be constructed by the hands of men.

"Onyx… I gotta say, you just threw another curve ball at me." Riddick says as he maneuvers our ship towards the docking area of the Sulaco, just beneath it's massive belly. "You did a very good job holding yourself together. I don't know if this means anything to you… And I don't tend to say this a lot, but… I'm very proud of you." I turn and see him looking at me briefly before going back to piloting. "You're turning out to a damned good co-pilot."

A small smile eats at my lips as I pull my eyes away from him and look to the screen. "Isn't life just full of surprises…" I say softly as we're engulfed into the much larger ship and watch the viewing screen go to black.

After several minutes of running around, we're standing on board the U.S.S. Sulaco. But of course this didn't happen until Riddick placed Johns and Damien into another part of the ship, completely sealed off from everything else. And I, ran back to clean up. We both dressed in matching outfits which is seriously funny now that I'm looking at it. Both wearing slate gray tanks, loose yet comfortable dark gray cargo pants, and of course, combat boots. I have my hair pulled back into a tight bun, keeping it away from my face. While Riddick, well…his 'lack' of hair goes with every occasion.

I'm trying to look as calm as physically possible as I watch not only Lieutenant Gorman approach us, but he's followed by Burke and you guessed it… Ripley. I feel like I've just stepped into the presence of a Goddess and have to will myself to not squeak with excitement. Her dark eyes catch mine and suddenly that excitement falls away into another emotion. I get this strange sense of connection with her… Almost as though she recognizes something about me. I must remind her of someone…but who?

"Lieutenant Gorman." I announce in greeting and offer my hand. He walks up to me and takes my hand, shakes it and releases. "I am Onyx and this is Riddick, Captain of the Serenity." My voice is firm and commanding, as though I've done this a million times over. I can't help but look at Ripley with such a high respect… Just being this close to a character I have idolized all my life is a very humbling experience. I just hope I don't do something stupid…

"This is Burke," Gorman explains and I find myself giving 'Burke' a very Hard handshake emphasizing without saying word, that I don't like him.

He furrows his brows and shakes his hand once I've released it. "Helluva grip you've got there." He says with a look on his face that I know means he's already calculating.

Gorman looks over to Ripley and adds, "and this is Lieutenant Ripley."

She approaches me and our hands touch. This time my grip is softer, almost understanding, and as our hands shake in greeting she has a question dancing in her intelligent eyes. "Onyx? First or last name?" She asks politely and just hearing her actually addressing me is astounding.

"It's a nic-name." I admit honestly as our hands slowly slip away from each other. "My real name is too boring."

She smiles warmly, finding my joke amusing and adds. "Well we'll have to discuss that later and compare notes."

"Sounds good to me." I say, smiling brightly, not caring if everyone sees it.

Riddick mean while shakes her hand last, and she gives him a funny look. Must be the goggles and the fact that he's only said one or two words the entire time. I really wish I wasn't the one that had to take charge here…it would be so much easier if he took over… But it's not his responsibility right now…not yet.

"Well, now that introductions have been made, I believe we should all sit down and discuss the information you have for us." Burke announces the same way a Merc would; a charming smile masking an eternity of lies and deceit. I seriously do _**not**_ like him. "What do'ya say? Sit down for a good cup of coffee? I'm sure you guys would like the company."

_Sure if I liked playing with venomous snakes… _I think and give a very sweet smile. "That actually sounds like a damned good idea."

Burke claps his hands together and smiles, "great! Let's go, shall we?" He begins walking away, Lt. Gorman following suit while Ripley waits for Riddick and myself.

We let them have a few paces ahead before following after them. Riddick is to my right while Ripley is to my left and suddenly I feel…very short. Riddick stands about six feet and possibly two inches while Ripley stands about six feet even. I'm only about five foot five… Yea, I feel short.

"I hope this doesn't sound insane but the information I have is for you Ripley." I whisper over to her as we walk. She nods, her eyes forward but filled with a silent understanding, "the events on LV-426, Hadley's Hope colony…" My voices trails off and becomes only loud enough for her to hear. "The Derelict Space craft you found when you worked on the Nostromo."

Her eyes are suddenly locked with mine, and I can feel the pain and horror there… "How did you know?" She whispers softly and I give her a concerned look.

"I'll tell you when I know we're not being watched." I reply as we both look forward and notice Burke and Gorman waiting for us to follow them into the mess hall. Apparently we had stopped walking for a moment. "Is that okay?" I ask as we start walking again.

She nods and gives me a sad smile. "Yes, that's fine."

*******A Few Minutes Later*******

"How long have you been orbiting the planet?" Riddick asks suddenly as we're all sat down around this metallic looking table, each of us with our own cup of coffee.

"Maybe a few hours. We haven't prepped the rest of the crew yet." Gorman replies and sips his coffee, and every once in a while he has this weird look on his face. I think he's scared of Riddick. I think it's funny but I don't let anyone know.

I see Ripley light a cigarette and she sees me staring. I look down apologetically when she offers me one out of the pack with the lighter. "Here, looks like you haven't had one in a while."

"Oh gods thank you." I say with a soft laugh of relief and light up, sighing as the deadly smoke fills my lungs with its intoxicating aroma. "Wow, these are really good." I exclaim and hand her the lighter back, which she takes with a genuine smile on her face.

"They're not the best, but they get the job done." Ripley replies as she sits to my left, Riddick obviously to my right, where Burke sits in front of me on the other side of the table with Gorman to his left.

We had already gone over the details of why I had to contact Ripley. It was grueling, seeing as I had to make shit up as I went. Burke asked the obvious questions, about how I knew about the Xenomorphs, how much I knew about them and so on. I gave him a slightly honest answer. I was Empathic and I suffered from extremely strong visions that had been coming to me for quite some time and the only logical thing for me to do was to find the Sulaco and contact Ripley. He actually bought it, but I think Ripley knows there's a great deal more to it then I had let on. Must be that woman's intuition.

Gorman asked the technical questions which Riddick replied perfectly, just like any high ranking officer would. It actually surprised me a little, how well he did without being hostile. Not like he has to worry about someone trying to cash in on him… He doesn't have to worry about that anymore. Instead…he's going to have to worry about something far more dangerous. Riddick already knows the details, the real details. I made a point to go over everything as we quickly got ready to step onto the Sulaco. He's not too excited about this entire situation, but he knows we really don't have any other choice.

The way he saw it, was basically… "Why worry about a payday on your head when you're about to be faced with creatures that want to bite it off?" When I heard him say that I suddenly knew how seriously fucked our situation had gotten.

And now… I was a major factor in this reality. I was the one thing that could completely alter everything.

I've been reinstated as Ripley's partner on the Xenomorph situation. Another technical advisor so to speak. I think she really appreciates the fact that she's not alone on this. That she has someone besides herself, that knows the chaos we're about to get into. Of course we haven't had more time to speak alone, but I have a feeling… I'm going to get that chance after we brief the Marines… Oh man, I get to meet the crew! I'm so excited…and mortified. I get to stand Next to Ripley when Gorman does his little speech and Hudson makes his smart ass remarks. I can't wait to see their faces when they see Riddick…

Damn this is going to get Very interesting…

**-End Chapter Thirty Two-**


	33. Chapter 33:: Assholes & Elbows

**::Outside Perspective::**

Within the eternal web of space, time is a limitless creature with no mass, no form. Like that of a solar wind drifting on a current of secrets through the cosmos. An unknown territory, placing the lives of many into the hands of a very dangerous fate. Blood, the essence of life, shall be spilt in the name of _hope_. A _hope_ that holds families and innocents…only to be consumed by a darkness; an army of deadly shadows, taking the innocent away from the light, from the safety of man and all things pure. Taken into an abyss where all things that go bump in the night…run in terror. A place where silent demons lie. Waiting, under the ever watchful presence of an unseen mother… A Queen of utter chaos… Goddess of death.

* * *

Onyx felt her heart pounding like a wild drum as she lagged behind Lt. Gorman. She knew that Riddick and herself had just missed the part, where they were all eating in the mess hall, just before the briefing. Now she was a part of it… Mainly because Ripley, alone in this universe, had insisted upon it. Onyx didn't quite understand why she had done this. Maybe it was for the simple fact that Ripley knew Onyx wasn't lying to her. That she wasn't just another corporate parasite trying to fuck everyone over for a percentage. Ripley, being completely alone, isolated from everything she knew, had a feeling about Onyx. They shared a similar way of thinking, a connection somehow. Ripley was going to see where that would take them…and maybe…Onyx would be a great deal of help on her side.

Walking behind Gorman, Ripley close to Onyx while Riddick and his pitch black shades remained directly behind his little wildcat, they walked into the main cargo area of the Sulaco only to be met by a restless crew of marines. Onyx remained silent, tried to contain her stoic expression even though as soon as her eyes fell on the Dropship in the hanger, she felt like exploding with joy at the mere sight of it. It was Real! All of it! It wasn't a set with actors, props, sound equipment, and lighting… It was all REAL. If she didn't have Riddick with her, she may very well have completely lost all composure. Is was like a real piece of heaven just laid out before her…and she could do anything she wanted with it. But Onyx knew better… In fact, she was set on letting things play out just like the movie. But of course…she would help, when her instincts told her it was the right time. Until then, she was merely there to enjoy the show.

Taking a deep needed breath, she and Riddick stood off to the left of Ripley, as Apone, one of her Most favorite characters began shouting out commands to the marines.

"Squad! **Ten-hut! **Officer on deck!" He announced and stood off to the far right, when Lt. Gorman exclaimed.

"As you were."

Onyx watched with excitement weaving through her blood as the Crew of roughnecks, sighed and made comments under their breaths, much like a bunch of kids wanting nothing to do with their snot nosed substitute teacher. She wanted so badly to mouth everything that was being said, but of course, they probably would have found that very strange.

Apone then added, "Quickly, quickly! Settle down." He paused and looked over the Marines as they waited for further instruction. "Alright, listen up!"

Onyx bit her bottom lip, holding in the need to smile like a drunken idiot as Gorman began speaking. "Morning Marines. I'm sorry we didn't have time to brief you people before we left Gateway, but…" His voice trailed off when Hudson, the resident smart ass of the group, interrupted.

"Sir?"

"What is it, Hicks?"

Hudson smirked, "Hudson Sir, he's Hicks." He corrected and looked over at Hicks, who was standing beside him to his left, hanging his weight on a dangling chain.

Gorman looked at both marines, a slight twitch to his jaw. "What's the question?"

"Is this going to be a stand-up fight, sir, or another bug-hunt?" He chimed in question, not really buying the young Lieutenant's front.

Onyx continued watching and felt her mind going along perfectly with every word that was being spoken. _I can't believe I'm seeing this… This is just too unreal! It's amazing! Oh wow… I feel like I've just died and gone to heaven…_

"All we know is that there's still no contact with the colony and that…a Xenomorph may be involved."

"Excuse me, sir. A what?" Another marine, who Onyx recognized immediately as a guy named Frost, asked with a funny look on his face.

Gorman replied, "A Xenomorph."

"It's a bug hunt." Hicks exclaimed to his fellow marines and then brought his eyes to Ripley. "What exactly are we dealing with here?"

"Ripley…" Gorman nodded to Ripley, allowing her to stand before the troops.

Onyx could tell Ripley felt nervous, but she remained outwardly collected. Which Onyx knew was a very hard thing to do.

"I'll tell you what I know. We set down on LV-426. One of our crew members was brought back on board with something attached to his face...some kind of parasite. We tried to get it off. It wouldn't come off. Later, it seemed to come off by itself and died. Kane seemed fine." Ripley paused briefly and began to feel the emotions flowing back to the surface, and Onyx sensed it almost instantly. "We're all having dinner and um...it must have laid something inside his throat...some sort of embryo. He started...um he…"

"Look, man. I only need to know one thing…" Vasquez cut Ripley off and coolly pointed her finger, cocked her thumb, and blew away an imaginary alien. "Where…they…are."

This is where Onyx felt her instincts tell her to step in. Onyx stepped forward and gently touched Ripley on her left arm. "It's okay Ripley." Onyx said softly, in a very kind voice and watched her idol nod and take a deep breath and stared at the marines as they cheered each-other on.

"Yo! Vasquez. Kick ass!" Drake, Vasquez's taller partner exclaimed and smacked hands with her.

Vasquez, being her cocky self added. "Anytime, anywhere man."

Then of course, Hudson decided to add his commentary. "Right, right! Somebody said alien...she thought they said illegal alien and signed up."

Vasquez rolled her eyes and flipped him off, "Fuck you man."

Hudson leaned forward, just enough for Vasquez to hear him, "Anytime. Anywhere."

Ripley had enough. "You finished!?" She barked and everyone had their eyes on her. She took a few steps forward, locking her eyes with Vasquez. "I hope you're right… I really do." Her voice was softer that time, as well as her eyes.

"Yes, right. Thank you, Ripley." Gorman interrupted, "We also have Ripley's report on disk, and suggest you study it…"

Onyx allowed herself to smile when Ripley, who had been walking away, spun around. "Because, just one of those things managed to wipe out my entire crew in less than twenty-four hours. And if the colonist have found that ship, then there's no telling how many of them have been exposed. Do you understand?"

The marines were completely silent after that statement and all Onyx could think of was,_ You tell'em Ripley! You show those pumped up jar heads this ain't a game! Okat… I sound like such a geek right now… Thank the gods I didn't say that out loud._

"Anyway, we have it on disk. So, you'd better look at it. Any questions?" Gorman said and got that look of annoyance on his face when Hudson raised his hand. "What is it private." It was more of a statement then a question.

With a shit-eating-grin on his face, he mused, "How do I get out of this chicken-shit outfit?"

Apone immediately responded. "You secure that shit, Hudson!"

Onyx held the chuckle inside when Gorman's body language just screamed with irritation. "Alright! Now listen up. I want this thing to go smooth and by the numbers. I want DCS and tactical database assimilation by 0-8:30." As he said this the marines let out a few moans and groans in disapproval. "Ordnance loading, weapons strip, and drop-ship prep details will have seven hours. Now, move it people!" He concluded and stormed off the right, away from the group.

"Alright sweethearts. You heard the man and you know the drill! Asshole's and elbow's!" Apone pointed at Hudson and growled through his teeth. "Hudson, come here! Come here!"

The group began to disperse and Onyx stood back next to Riddick, who's hand gently took hold of hers, squeezed and then released it. She looked up toward her left and saw a slight smirk on his lips, a sign that she was still doing a good job. He's being his usual silent, watchful self. Which she appreciated even though she wanted to bounce up and down like a puppy with a ball in its jaws.

"Is this crazy or what?" Onyx whispered in a voice that only Riddick could hear and bit her bottom lip as the adrenaline continued to assault her system. "I'm so excited I feel like I'm going to crawl out of my skin."

Riddick peered down at her, a smile stretched across his lips and shook his head. "I can see that." He chuckled in a very low, rumbling voice when his attention was caught by someone walking up behind her. "Stay cool Onyx, I think someone wants to have that little chat with you." Onyx furrowed her brow at him and slowly turned around… To see Ripley standing there with her hands in her pockets.

"Would you mind if we had that talk now…say over a cigarette and some coffee?" Ripley said with a quiet smile playing her lips… It almost seemed sad, and scared in a sense.

Onyx returned the smile and nodded. "Now sounds just fine." She turned her eyes to Riddick briefly, "you gonna be okay by yourself for a little while?" She didn't want to leave him, but this was an opportunity of a lifetime.

"Don't worry about me baby." He replied and kissed her on the forehead. "I won't get into too much trouble." Onyx narrowed her eyes at him and he chuckled. "I'll be fine. Now go." He added and gently smacked her on the ass for emphasis.

**::Her Perspective::**

I can't believe I'm walking with Ripley back to the mess hall, away from everyone. I'm trying to keep my eyes forward but I can't help looking around. Everything is so bright and metallic…so…REAL! Did I mention how incredibly in awe I am of this situation? Did I mention that I feel like I'm going to explode at any second? It's weird…I'm not really bothered by the lights, or maybe I'm just too damned excited to care? Oh wow… I just glanced over and noticed Hudson checking me out. Wait…Hudson just checked me out? No…that's impossible. Wait…I was right. Why? He just winked at me so I looked away. He really is a doofus.

We're already past everyone and are now alone in the mess hall. It seems so dead in here. Kinda gives me the same feeling a hospital does; cold and bright. I hate that feeling. "You doin' okay Ripley?" I ask as we both get a cup of coffee and sit down at the table.

Her long fingers intertwine around her cup as she sits across from me. "I'm alright I guess." Her dark eyes study my face and become methodical, as though all the wheels within her mind are turning in unison. "I'm going to be honest with you. After everything I've been through, you seem to be the only person as of right now, that actually gives a shit about how I feel."

"Well I do…" I begin speaking before I can stop myself. "You were in cryosleep for over Fifty-seven years, woke up to find your only daughter Amy to have passed away two years ago at the age sixty-six and had the company completely fuck you over… And then come back to you for help because they had 'Magically' lost contact with the colony on LV-426. I'd be pretty pissed too…" I finally stop when I realize the look that's dawned over her face. Her mouth is slightly agape and her eyes are wide. _Jesus I should just shoot myself now and get it over with…_

Realizing my obvious idiocy I swallow hard and look down. "I…I'm sorry Ripley… I didn't mean to…"

She cuts me off. "How the hell did you know that?"

I can understand the suspicion in her eyes. I'd feel the same way too, if I were in her position. "I uh…" I try to begin but find my voice is suddenly far away and decide to gulp down some of the strong coffee sitting in front of me. Once the heat passes down my throat and into my stomach I let out a soft sigh. "If I try to tell you the truth…" I trail off and meet her gaze, which is burning into me. "You wouldn't believe me."

Her face hardens as well as her words. "Try me. It's not like I have anywhere else to be at the moment."

Right now would be a great time to rebuild that courage I had earlier. "My real name is Erin…and I'm from a different…" I feel my voice break as emotions start to well up in the back of my throat, trying to suffocate me with the threat of painful tears. "…place. A different dimension. Look I know how crazy this sounds… I just…" I'm fighting it with everything I am but I'm falling a part. Speaking to her, Ripley, a woman I have always looked up to and wanted to be like, it's…somehow causing my inner wounds to fester and bleed with longing. My eyes are burning and I'm starting to lose my ability to breathe. I cough and put a hand to my face, clench my eyes shut and try to force the emotions down when I feel her hand gently touch my left hand that's gripping my coffee cup for dear life.

"It's okay Erin…" I hear her say my name in a way my own mother would and open my eyes, even if the tears are already spilling down my cheeks. Her face has taken on the look of understanding, the same look she's going to give Newt when they finally meet. "Take it slow and try again."

I swallow hard and nod, trying to get my bearings back. "I'm not from this plain of existence… That man, Riddick, well… He found a way through a wormhole he found in his universe and it dropped him off in my dimension. Except it wasn't him…" I growl and shake my head, annoyed with myself. "He has an identical twin brother who had found him first, locked him up in his own ship and came to earth in the year 2007 to find me. You can imagine that in my world, we haven't even physically touched down to Mars yet… Anyway, his twin, Damien, used me as bait basically, tore me away from my home world by feeding me lies…until I found Riddick myself locked up in another part of the ship. Needless to say that was all fixed but it was too late, I couldn't go back. And just a few days ago I never knew space travel or any of this shit was possible."

Ripley is quiet for a moment and furrows her brow. "That still doesn't explain how you know so much about me."

I take a very deep needed breath and let it out slowly. "Well… This is the craziest part…" _Shit how am I going to tell her how I know? I'm going to sound like a raving lunatic! _"I…started having visions. Since I was very young. I was about five years old when they started." _I'm not really lying, stretching the truth, but not completely lying… _"I had visions of the Nostromo, of Ash the synthetic, of the ship filled the thousands of eggs. As I got older I saw more played out. I started remembering things about You. About Jonesy, your orange cat, about the hospital you woke up in. I saw the nightmares you had of a chest-burster breaking through your ribcage. I saw Burke and Lt. Gorman coming to you in your small apartment, asking you for help and that you'd be reinstated as a flight officer if you did. I also saw what happened on the Sulaco, what happens when you touch down on LV-426..."

I just stop speaking and bring both hands to my eyes, trying to rub away the last of the fleeing tears. "I know your name is Ellen…" I pull my hands away and look into her gaze, which holds emotions I can barely even begin to describe. "I know what it feels like to feel completely isolated and alone in a place that you feel you don't belong in. I'm not supposed to be here. I'm supposed to be back in my small apartment, next to the ocean, and live out a boring mundane life. But instead I'm here because the fates decided to play Russian roulette with my life."

"I don't expect you to believe me…" I add and bite my bottom lip, feeling as though I've just tattooed, 'I'm a Complete Ass' on my forehead in capital letters.

"You know what?" I'm afraid to look into her eyes, but I do so anyway. "I think…" She trails off, brings out her pack of cigarettes, lights two and hands me one. "You need to have a smoke and then we'll continue this, okay?"

I nod, unable to say anything else except for. "Thank you…for the cigarette."

Ripley, a strong woman who has no idea the path that's ahead of her or the demons she's going to face, gives me a sympathetic smile. "You're welcome." She says, takes drag from her cig, exhales a small vortex of smoke, leans forward and adds, "oh and by the way…I don't think you're crazy Erin."

My eyes widen and I feel my heart drop. "Honestly? You don't?"

She considers it, presses her lips together and nods, with that motherly smile on her face. "Yes honestly. With the things that I've witnessed, and experienced… Things that should have seemed crazy, make a hell of a lot more sense now."

I give a weak smile and take in a breath of the poisonous smoke and let it trail above my head in a long sigh of relief. "Again…I'm sorry if what I've said seems insane…"

She cuts me off with her brows furrowed and a smile on her lips. "Erin… It's…O…K. Got it?" She sounds out every word making sure I get the point. I can sense she truly believes me, even if it's completely out of left field. I almost sense that she understands me better then I do at the moment. And there it is again…that feeling of a connection. As though I remind her of someone. And before the thought can even reach the fibers of my brain she says, "you know…in a small way… You remind me of Amy."

Her face becomes sad, the lines around her eyes, the sparkle within her gaze. It hurts me to see that. And I'm suddenly very homesick. "I really miss my Mom too… I didn't get to say goodbye."

We look at each other in a moment of silence. As though mourning the lives we once had, and now…we're forced to live within a fate that was never our choice.

"Hey." Ripley finally says and downs the rest of her coffee. "We should probably get back and see if we can be of any use to the rest of the crew."

I nod, drain my cup and stand, ready to follow suit. "If they ask about me…what do we tell them?"

She thinks for a moment and takes another drag off her cigarette. "Well… We don't tell them anything." She exclaims and briefly wraps her left arm around my shoulders, gives me a squeeze and pats me on the back before releasing. "And if not, I'll tell them to talk to your boyfriend. I'm sure they'll stop asking after that."

I let out a laugh and shake my head. "Yea… I'm positive just seeing him will change their minds."

As we're walking, slower this time back to the cargo area, she asks. "So…he really wanted to go through a wormhole to find you?" I nod and she furrows her brow in thought. "How did he know about you?"

I give a small smile. "We had linked dreams…" I look over at her and see her brows raised in surprise. "I know, sounds crazy."

"After what we've discussed, no… It's kinda romantic. The man of your dreams…is really the man of your dreams."

We both laugh at that comment. "Yea… I guess he really is." I say softly and feel my pain slowly melt away. "You know Ripley… You're really cool."

A bright smile dawns on her face. "Thanks, you're not so bad yourself kid."

_Maybe this experience won't be so bad after all… If anything, I finally get to see her in the power loader up close… And I think I need to find Riddick and hug him. A hug sounds really damned good right about now…_

**-End Chapter Thirty-Three-**


	34. Chapter 34:: Express Elevator to Hell…

**::Outside Perspective::**

Onyx and Ripley reemerged into the loading bay and witnessed Apone circulating among the troops that are preparing weaponry and the Drop-Ship for action. There was intense activity throughout the cavernous loading bay. Troopers on foot or driving Power-Loaders...all in action. They walked side by side, watching, silent, listening to everything going on around them. Onyx still felt the emotional highs of situation. The adrenaline that pumped mercilessly through her veins continued, but the feeling wasn't excitement anymore…it was slowly melting into anxiety.

Fairly soon, this entire unit would be thrown into a world they never even thought existed. A world that was out for blood…

Onyx knew the events that were to come, and strangely…as this thought danced wickedly through her brain, she caught a glance from Ripley. They locked eyes and shared the same knowing expression… Terror. "I'm scared Ripley…" Onyx admitted softly and swallowed the hard lump that formed suddenly in the back of her throat.

"Me too Erin…" Ripley trailed off as they looked forward, peering over the busy marines in power-loaders, moving equipment and checking the Drop-ship. "…Me too."

Onyx felt her chest tighten and cleared her throat, as though trying to push the swelling anxiety away. "They don't know, do they?"

Ripley looked back to Onyx and gave her a sad expression, her eyes filled with a terrible knowledge. "No…they don't. They've listened to my accounts, but they're too pumped up to really grasp the situation."

"Which means these hard-headed bastards are only going to learn the hard way…" Onyx added in a sigh and noted the way Ripley nodded in reply. "Damn it… Even if we tried to warn them, they'd dismiss it. Especially shit for brains Gorman." Onyx paused and brought her arms to her chest, crossing them tightly beneath her breasts. "You know, I find it really fucking convenient that the company sent fresh meet in regards to a lieutenant. Don't you find that a little interesting?"

Furrowing her brow, taking in the comment with a thoughtful look, she brought her eyes to Onyx. "Yea I do. You'd think they'd put someone with some actual experience on this mission…"

"I don't trust it Ripley." Onyx added in a low voice, in an attempt to keep their conversation from being overheard by anyone that happened to pass by. "Something about this doesn't feel right."

Ripley smirked and mimicked Onyx's position, crossing her arms in the same fashion. "I've been thinking that this entire time." A small smile stretched her lips, "it's nice to have someone else who understands."

Onyx knew that was a lot for Ripley to say so openly, and it touched her heart to know that Ripley and herself…were strangely connected by their pasts. The events that followed, somehow bringing them together. Something about the entirety of the situation began to make sense. It was almost as though some unseen force had brought them together. And inwardly…Onyx was incredibly thankful.

They stood back, quietly surveying everything around them and were caught by the sound of Apone.

"I don't care if you are short, Hudson. Get it done." He barked walking passed Hudson toward the Drop-ship when Hudson made a catty remark in the background.

"Hey, Sarge! You get lip cancer smoking those!"

Apone ignored him and looked to a power-loader being operated by another marine. The two massive forks held a NT-432B Air-To-Ground Ballistic Missile. The arms of the power-loader rose and slid the missile into an opening in the Drop-Ship. "Corporals! I want this loading lock sealed...now! How many more you got, Spunkmeyer?" Apone asked the marine in the power-loader, watching him as he worked.

"Last One." Spunkmeyer replied without looking to his Master Sergeant.

"Good. Take it away." Apone announced with that cigar still held at the edge of his mouth and walked away.

Onyx looked to Ripley, "wait…you can work one of those power-loaders right?"

Ripley looked to Onyx with a question in her eyes. "Yea how did you…" She trailed off, smiled and shook her head.

Onyx chuckled. "It's okay, I'm a little hard to get used to." She shared the smile with Ripley and then had a thought cross her mind. "Hey, why don't you go over to Apone and Hicks and see if they need any help."

"Okay now you're creeping me out… I was just thinking about that." Ripley smiled, becoming more comfortable with her new found friend.

"I'm weird I know." Onyx laughed and gently nudged Ripley to go on ahead. "Go on, show these guys how to operate a power-loader properly."

"You sure you don't want to come?" Ripley asked and let her hands slip into her pockets.

Onyx shook her head. "I'll go find Riddick, see what he's been doing this entire time."

Ripley gave her a warm smile, nodded, turned on the heel of her shoes and started towards the two men. Onyx stood back, watching, becoming excited again that she would see this up close and not on a Television screen. She was within about twenty feet, a close enough distance to hear the conversation that was about to take place. Onyx knew she'd go look for Riddick eventually, but as of that moment…she didn't want to miss this. Seeing as it was one of her favorite scenes in the movie. Now it was real…

Onyx watched with a smile on her lips when Ripley approached Apone and Hicks, standing near the Drop-ship. Onyx could see that Hicks was checking off items on an electronic manifest.

"Hi. I feel like a kind of fifth wheel around here. Is there anything I can do?" Ripley asked and put her hands on her hips as both men regarded her.

"I don't know. Is there anything you can do?" Apone asked with his signature cigar, unlit, hanging from the corner of his mouth.

Ripley gave a smile, almost relieved that someone other then Onyx, actually gave a shit. "Well, I can drive that loader." She announced and both men looked at her in interest when she added. "I have a Class 2 rating." Apone looked over at a second Power-loader sitting unused in an equipment bay. Apone and Hicks exchanged a skeptical glance, considering her statement.

"Be my guest." Apone motioned for her to go ahead and just stood back, admiring her as she started for the power-loader.

Ripley climbed into the power-loader, almost as if it were second nature and buckled the four point restraint belt. Locking her feet into place, she then pulled down the roll cage, which locked into place with an echoing clang. Onyx smiled brightly, watching this happen in real time, right before her eyes. She narrowed her focused gaze and locked on to the power switches while Ripley's finger punched them on. A rising whine of power erupted from the power-loader as Ripley pulled back on the arm control joysticks. The huge clawed arms lifted up, rising like two monstrous looking claws, threatening and powerful. Ripley then moved the wrist servos, becoming one with the machine. The claws opened and closed, swiveling on their joints, hissing softly as the internal workings pulled and gave.

Onyx let her eyes fall on Hicks and Apone, who shared impressed glances. Hicks smiled, and Onyx found herself melting. _Ripley is one lucky lady…that man is very easy on the eyes. _Shaking her head, throwing the random thought somewhere else in her brain, she brought her attention back to Ripley.

Like an old pro, Ripley slid the claws smoothly into lifting brackets on a cargo module, nearby. She raised it deftly, easily, as though it were no more then an empty cardboard box and turned towards Apone and Hicks. Ripley held a mischievous smile on her lips and said. "Where you want it?"

Apone and Hicks looked at each other again and shared an appreciative laugh. Hicks looked at Ripley with a smile of impressed disbelief as Apone replied with an amused tone. "Bay Twelve, please."

"Hey, enjoying the show?" Riddick rumbled in a low growl and surprisingly, Onyx didn't jump. In fact, it seemed as though she had expected it.

"Very much so." She replied in a pleasant tone, her eyes forward, staring but not really focused. She was at peace, contentment a welcoming blanket around her distorted being. She felt good…relaxed even. It was nice to finally have a moment without the annoying tendrils of stress wrapping around her brain.

Large arms wrapped around her body, pulling her back gently against a hard wall of heat. She relaxed even more as he locked his hands beneath her crossed arms, where her hands rested on his embrace. Her head fell back on his chest and she let out a sigh, enjoying the closeness of him. Riddick's chin tilted down, where he took in a deep inhale, his nose pressed against her head, taking in her scent. As he exhaled he let out a low, nearly inaudible growl and she giggled softly in response.

"You're close, aren't you?" His voice was incredibly low and husky, breaking at the ends as though he were fighting himself from dragging her off into another room.

Onyx nodded, "yea…not looking forward to it." She replied and reveled in the feeling of his body being so protective in its embrace.

"How much longer?" He asked while his thumbs rubbed her arms.

"Bout a few hours tops. I'm already starting to have those lovely pains." Onyx let out a sigh and watched Hicks glance over at the couple, gave a slight smile, and went back to what he was doing. "We should probably go talk to Apone and find out if he needs any help."

"Already did."

Onyx furrowed her brow and turned her head so that she was looking up into his goggle covered gaze. "You did?" She watched him nod and pulled away from his embrace so that she was facing him. "Care to share?" Onyx announced with a playful smile hovering over her lips.

"Basic shit. When we're supposed be prepped and ready to go. He let me have a look at the weapons… And damn, I had a full on hard on when I got a hold of the Pulse Rifle. Sexy piece of weaponry." He replied and took her hips in his hands and pulled her hard against him, a wiggle in his brow. "Wanna go be teenagers and make out in the bathroom?"

Onyx let out a laugh as he swayed his hips against hers. "God you're terrible!" She chuckled and slapped him on the arm, breaking away from his hands. "How can you think about sex right now?"

"Can you blame me? I mean…look at it from my perspective. I had my hands on some sweet weapons and now I've had my hands on an incredibly sexy woman. Two things that make me want to just come all over the place."

Onyx felt her cheeks flush with heat as she brought a hand to her forehead and shook her head smiling. "Oh my gods Riddick…"

Riddick grinned that infamous Grin and caught her gaze. "So…you wanna make out baby?" The look on his face was nearly too much for her and she just fell into a fit of laughter. Riddick smiled, a warm and loving smile as he watched her catch her breath. "It's good to hear you laugh."

Onyx found her voice again and returned the warm smile. "I'm glad you think so." She said and took a deep breath, and let it out in a rush of air. "We should probably meet up with Ripley and get ready. They're going to be boarding everyone into the APC soon."

"APC? Oh you mean that beast of a vehicle?" Riddick announced more as in realization rather then question.

"Yup." Onyx replied and motioned for him to follow as she started towards the area she last saw Ripley in. Riddick started towards her then began going in another direction so she stopped. "Wait, where are you going?"

"I'm going to head to the lockers, take up Apone's offer." Riddick said quickly while walking backwards. "You go find Ripley and I'll meet you back here in a few."

"Offer?" She repeated in question and all she got was a grin before he turned and charged off. "Great…" Onyx sighed to herself and shook her head. "Wonderful…alright, find Ripley." She said to herself and walked over to where she had last seen her and got lucky.

Ripley was already heading her way. "Have fun?" Onyx asked loud enough for her to hear as they finally reached each-other.

"It was refreshing. Made me feel useful." Ripley replied and put her hands on her hips in a relaxed manner as they stood in front of each-other, right beneath the opening of the dropship where the APC would dock. "Did you find Riddick?" Ripley asked as they both watched the large vehicle known as the Armored Personnel Carrier aka APC, crossed the loading deck, and pulled up next to the Drop-Ship.

*****Meanwhile*****

Riddick went back and took a pulse rifle from the rack as marines shuffled past him, trying to avoid him altogether. At one point he noticed Vasquez, Drake and Frost were field-stripping light weapons with precise movements. Around them, in racks, were an arsenal of advanced personal artillery.

He smirked inwardly as he continued forward, amused at the way some marines were getting out of his way, except for one… Hicks, who approached him before getting suited up.

"I'm Hicks." He said with his pleasant tone and offered Riddick his hand in greeting.

He took the hand offered and shook it while saying, "Riddick." He announced and released Hicks's hand. "You're a Corporal correct?"

Hicks nodded. "Second in line after Apone." He replied and got a thoughtful crease within his brow. "You know why I'm here… So what's the story with you and your lady?"

Riddick gave a slight smirk, "Onyx is the one you want to ask about the situation. I'm here as her…guardian. Make sure when the shit hit's the fan that I'm the one she can put her trust in."

"Onyx huh?" Hicks repeated with a tone of surprise. He'd never heard a woman with that name. "She's Ripley's knew partner now, correct? Which means she also knows about the Aliens."

"That about sums it up." Riddick chimed and found himself taking a liking to this Corporal Hicks. He seemed alright in his book. A real soldier that wasn't beating around the bush, and the only other person besides Apone that made a point to introduce himself. "I'll let you get back to suiting up and I'll see you again on the APC."

Hicks gave him a smile and shook hands with him again. "Sounds like a plan."

Riddick nodded to him and began walking back, passing a room where he peeked in and noticed that female bad ass Vasquez and her much taller male counterpart Drake. Vasquez swung one of the Smart-Guns out on a work stand. Riddick gazed at the computer-aimed, video-targeting automatic weapon, while Drake imitated her moves behind her with his own equally impressive weapon. With a hidden smile, Riddick pushed on, ready to go back to the gorgeous creature waiting for him next to the drop ship.

**::Her Perspective::**

I'm standing here listening to the sound of the drop-ship engines growl, its pitch gradually increasing as it's readied for flight. I watch as Ferro, the pilot and her co-pilot Spunkmeyer, take their seats in the cockpit. Ripley stands in front of it, to my right, watching. Burke, the annoying worm that he is, joins us to Ripley's right. The farther away Burke is from me, the better. I think he knows I don't hold him on my, 'friendly' list. I'd rather gut his ass and feed him to the Aliens myself… But that will come in time.

As of right now, I'm standing next to Ripley, while waiting for Riddick, so we can finally board this huge APC and get ready to drop from the Sulaco. This will be the first combat drop for me…and I'm actually excited about it. I hate to say it, but after going on rides that drop me from hundreds of feet up, I'm really looking forward to that feeling again. The feeling of being weightless, is almost…euphoric.

Makes me wonder where they're going to place Riddick and myself… Probably seat us right next to Ripley. That would be the obvious, logical choice. It's not like they were expecting us, but I believe this beast can add a few more people into its armored belly.

I remember that the guys are getting ready at their lockers, which isn't far away. I close my eyes and see the scene unfolding in my head, their voices just loud enough for me to let it play in my mind…

The troopers are suiting up for the drop. Strapping on their bulky combat armor. I can picture an up close shot of Hicks, his cigarette burning to the end as it peeks out between his lips, its ash about to break off at any moment. He's strapping his armor on his legs, stands and closes his locker after grabbing his helmet. He goes to turn and move out of the shot when Apone's deep voice fills my mind.

He speaks with an essence of a father, almost encouraging his team. "Alright, squad. We're a team and there's nothing to worry about. We come here, we gonna conquer, and we're gonna kick some. Is that understood?"

The marines sing out in unison, "Yes Sir!"

"That's what were going do, sweethearts. We are going to go and get some." Apone sates and his voice raises, getting his unit pumped up. "Alright people, on the ready-line! Are you lean?!"

"YEAH!!"

Apone calls out again. "Are you mean?!"

"YEAH!!" Their voices rise, louder, stronger, filled with anticipation as their master sergeant gets them pumped.

Apone's tone is getting louder, to the point where I can actually hear it from where I'm standing. "WHAT ARE YOU?!"

"LEAN, MEAN MARINES!!"

"WHAT ARE YOU?!"

All the marines, some a little delayed reply, "we're Marines!"

I can picture Hudson lagging behind, slamming his locker and following the rest of the line out of the locker room as Apone hollers. "Hudson! Get on the ready line, Marines! Get some today! Get on the ready line!"

Wierzbowski, another marine calls out, clearly ready to kick some ass. "YO!"

I open my eyes and can still picture it in my head as the clatter of armor, the thunder of footsteps head my way while Apone's commanding voice fills the air with an essence of pride. "Move it out! Move it out, goddamn it! **Ten, hut! **One, two, three! Come on! Get out! Get out! Get out!" Apone comes charging out with the line of marines, still calling out to them. "Move it out! Move it out! Move it out! Move it out! Move it out! Move it out! One, two, three, four! One, two, three!"

I turn to see all the soldiers are filing up to the door of the APC. Apone verbally pushing them the entire way. I can feel myself become engulfed with excitement as Apone looks over his unit and growls approvingly. "Absolutely bad assess!" He announces in a proud voice and slides open the door of the APC. "Let's pack'em in! Get in there!"

I wait with Ripley as the marines file in, Apone still shouting out orders. "Alright! Move it! Go on! One, two, three, four, five, six!"

I hear a voice, another marine, probably Hicks by the sound of it. "Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!" He calls out while Riddick is suddenly next to me, waiting while Ripley slips past the door.

Apone barks out another order to his team. "Alright, I want combat seating. You know your places."

Ripley steps inside and looks for a place to sit. Burke, myself and Riddick follow suit. Burke, then Ripley, myself and Riddick all sit down and pull this roller coaster like belt over our body's and down, locking it in place at our mid sections, just beneath our arms.

"Get those weapons stowed. Let's go! Come on, settle down people." Apone says as Gorman takes control of the Mobile Tactical Operations Bay aka MTOB. I'm sitting here, in the presence of these amazing characters…all real people, not actors, and find myself watching Gorman, with a quiet fascination as he checks out all the monitors along a panel in the wall.

Apone calls out to Hudson, "Lock'em in, Hudson!"

Hudson meanwhile, is making sure the seat belt, roller-coaster thingies are secure while standing he exclaims. "Ready to get it on, you know it!"

I turn my attention to Gorman as he talks into his head set. "Okay, Bishop. Let's go." He announces and I can imagine Bishop saying, 'Roger' as the vehicle begins to move, driving into the Drop-Ship. As it moves, jerking us slightly in our seats, I look over to Hudson as he stands in front of his fellow marine Vasquez.

"I'm ready, man. Ready to get it on! Yo!" Hudson slaps Vasquez's up-raised hand when I feel the APC come to a stop on the ramp.

My eyes move to Riddick's covered gaze and I can't help the nervous smile stretching my lips as I feel the vehicle being lifted up into the belly of the drop-ship as the ramp closes. His hand slips over mine and grabs hold, squeezing the flesh with a sign of reassurance. He doesn't need to say anything, because I can sense, just in the way he's peering at me through his goggles, that everything's going to be okay. I know it will… I've seen the movie more times then I can count. Strange how I'm still physically nervous even though I know what's going to happen next. Maybe…that's partially why I'm nervous.

I can hear Ferro, the pilot, speaking to everyone over the loudspeaker as everyone gets strapped in. "Stand-by, ten seconds." I take a deep breath and close my eyes for a moment, trying to get my nerves under control. Then her voice fills the air again and my heart beats even harder and faster then before. "Stand-by to initiate release sequencer...on my mark. Five, four, three,…" She trails off and I swallow the hard lump in my throat.

Hudson, just as I thought he would, exclaims. "We're on the express elevator to Hell. Going down."

One last look around, I meet eyes with Ripley, who in turn has the same nervous expression on her face. We share a weak smile for a moment and I turn away…my heartbeat nearly pounding through my chest…

"...two, one. Mark."

Ferro's voice concludes and suddenly everything jerks and trembles. I close my eyes and hold my breath as the drop-ship free falls from the belly of the Sulaco… Spitting us out into the darkness of space…where very soon, we'll be breaking orbit, consumed in a wall of fire as we hit the atmosphere.

It's one thing to see it on screen… It's another to actually experience it. And for the first time in my life… I know I'm truly…awake.

**-End Chapter Thirty-Four-**


	35. Chapter 35:: Archeron

**::Her Perspective::**

Freefalling, weightless, the feeling of motion, chaos all around me. Air rushing, jerking, slamming against my mind. We're diving, deeper and deeper, the Drop-Ship quaking as it breaks through the atmosphere at a break-neck speed. Though we're safe, hidden within the belly of the flying beast, I can still feel the pressure, changing, shifting, as wind licks the outer hull of the Drop-Ship. I know we'll be safe, Ferro being one hell of a pilot. I'm not completely terrified, not like before. Not like I was when I heard the numbers, my brain and soul counting down with her voice as is pooled around my ears. I'm actually okay now, feeling a bit more at ease, as excitement takes over the anxiety and brings a bright smile to my face. If anything…I'm fuckin' stoked!

Hudson has already finished his maddening howl, which I never realized could be so damned loud. The movie does his vocal cords no justice. The Drop-Ship is jerking, not too bad, when Ferro's voice fills the air once more. "**Rough air ahead. We're in for some chop**."

I glance over to Gorman and he looks like he's either about to piss himself or squeeze a load. I know, pretty gross of me, but if you were this close and saw the sweat forming and dripping along his forehead, you'd think so too. I furrow my brow, share a glance with Riddick who shrugs, and then turn my eyes to Ripley. "Hey Ripley… You know, this is my first drop and it's not too bad." I manage to say without having to whisper because of the air thrashing wildly along the ship as it continues its decent toward the colony. "You think Gorman's okay?"

Ripley grows this knowing smile on her face, as though reading my mind and turns her sight on Gorman. "How many drops is this for you Lieutenant?" She asks and even the others wait patiently for his response.

"Thirty-eight…" He answers…but then closes his eyes and realizes he should probably tell the truth,"…simulated."

Ripley furrows her brow at me, I shrug, smiling and we bring our attention back to Gorman as Vasquez adds, "How many combat drops?"

Gorman thinks for a moment, still as pale as a baby's ass. "Uh…two… Including this one."

Vasquez looks to Drake and they share a **'do you believe this shit' **expression as Drake says, "Shit."

Followed by Hudson's response. "Oh, man…"

I glance over the same time as Ripley as we Both give Burke an accusing look, which he merely shrugs in response. "Fuckin' figures…" I say under my breath and feel Riddick give my hand a squeeze. I bring my eyes to him and watch him motion with his chin for me to lean closer.

"You ready for this?" He asks in a gravely tone that causes glands to sweat in places I never knew they existed. I know I'm making a face when he gives me an inquisitive look. "Hormones are getting worse… Your scent is different baby. You have what you need for it when it hits?"

I sigh and close my mouth, clench my jaws as a small wave of pain slices through my womb like a blade cutting into the swelling flesh. "Yea… If not I can improvise. Besides, as far as I know… Even SEALS carry Tampons and Pads, so maybe they have some. You know, best stuff for heavy wounds."

Riddick gives me a look that is a mixture between being impressed and astonishment. "Wow Onyx… You've got the mindset of a soldier. Most people never think like that, let alone a woman with no military training."

I smile with a slight shrug of my shoulders. "I've always made a point to pay attention to the smaller details. And logically, tampons and pads were made for heavy bleeding, so it would only be smart to have them around in case you run out of the basics if your plannin' on being out in the field with hostile targets. You never know what can come in handy when you're faced with having to rely on your instincts."

I didn't realize I was loud enough for everyone to hear me with my last statement. Because right now, more then a few of the marines are giving me impressed glances with small smiles at the corner of their lips. I was hoping Hicks would hear me, but he's too busy being passed out at the moment. Talk about being able to sleep through anything.

I break my eyes away from him and look over to Gorman, who's seat is no longer locked into position. Instead, it's moving along the floor panel as he looks over the screens on the side wall. I watch him intently as conversation between marines flows into the air around my head.

I recognize the voice; a sexy ass marine with a six pack you could wash laundry on, named Frost. He begins expressing his personal feelings on the situation, but I only catch the ass end of it. "But, I'm telling you. I have a bad feeling about this drop."

I look towards the screens along the panel and watch the smaller vid-screens igniting with camera feed from each marines helmet.

"You always say that, Frost. You always say, 'I have a bad feeling about this drop.'" The other voice, talking with Frost is Wierzbowski.

There is a hint of dry sarcasm in Frost's tone as he retorts. "Okay, okay. When we get back without ya, I'll call your folks."

I narrow my eyes and focus on the Monitor Console. Watching intently, I notice that Hudson's camera image is just one of the pictures being displayed on the APC's Mobile Tactical Operations Bay, manned by Gorman. He controls the board like a video director. The board has many screens. Each labeled with the names of the troopers. Two for each soldier. The upper screens are Bio-Monitors: EEG, EKG, and other graphic life-function readouts. Reminding me of high-tech hospital equipment except…military style. The lower screens show images from the image-intensified video cameras on their helmets. Other screens show exterior views. It's actually really cool to see this up close, seeing as Gorman is just in front of us.

"Alright. Let's see what we can see. Everybody on line...lookin' good." Gorman announces thoughtfully and focuses in on a certain vid-screen that seems to be filled with static. "Drake, check your camera. There seems to be a malfunction…"

Drake turns his head and smacks the right side of his helmet, where the camera sits, right against an ammo case and the picture clears up on the screen.

"...that's better. Pan it around a bit. Good." Gorman says as he looks over each screen. He then looks over his shoulder at Apone, who comes over to check things out. Gorman nods to him. And of course, Mr. Smart-ass himself aka Hudson, gets out of his seat and starts walking up the isle in the hold, talking to the troopers. I know he's been eyeing me the entire time me and Riddick have joined this little platoon, but even though he's headed in my direction, he breaks eye contact with me as soon as Riddick lets out a low growl, threatening him to get closer.

"I'm ready, man. Check it out! I am the **ultimate** badass." He exclaims while standing, even though the ship is jerking and if he's not careful, he's going to end up ass over elbows. _Now that would be worth a full bellied laugh_. I watch him as he continues oozing testosterone like a wound that won't heal. "State-of-the-badass art." He says and does the whole, **'Puffing up like a proud Chicken**.' "You do not want to fuck with me. Check it out."

Hudson looks in my direction and I shake my head, knowing that if Riddick wasn't sitting next to me, I would be the one he spoke to. Instead, he takes the safer route and targets Ripley… Which isn't much of an improvement because he's still inches away. I think he just wants to show off…_what a dork._

"Hey, Ripley." He says and leans over her head, where she tries not laugh at how ridiculous he's acting and gives him a look without saying, '_You've gotta be kidding me_'. "Don't worry. Me and my squad of ultimate badassess will protect you." He motions with his hand to the rest of the group and chuckles as the rest of the marines cheer at his speech.

"Check it out!" Hudson moves to the back of the APC and stops at the controls for the roof-mounted cannon. The thing is seriously scary looking. "Independently targeting, particle-beam phalanx. WHAP!" He says with an excited tone as Burke gives Ripley a glance and goes back to watching Hudson continue with his **'kid in a candy store' **enthusiasm. "Fry half a city with this puppy."

I watch him as he moves closer, getting more excited, his eyes getting wider. Again…complete dork. "...electronic ballbreakers!" One of the marines lets out a whoop of excitement. Hudson continues, "We got nukes." His eyes get even larger as he's now not only looking at Ripley, but me as well. I swear if his eyes get any bigger they're going to pop right out of his head. "We got knives, sharp sticks…" And does this motion as though he's jabbing someone and I can't help but laugh hysterically, not caring if anyone hears me.

Hudson sees me laugh and grins like an idiot when Apone barks at him. "Knock it off, Hudson."

I look at Ripley as she puts her head in her hands and shakes it from side to side, obviously receiving a headache from Hudson's little speech. I giggle and shake my head as well. I never thought I'd EVER be able to see Hudson in action, well speaking anyway. And my gods…he is the epitome of a dork. My smile fades when I realize we're about to be touching done on LV-426. Right smack dab into Hadley's Hope colony. The smile is gone and I just sit back and think sadly… _At least he's the comic relief…for now._

Apone is already spouting off orders, getting everyone up and ready for touch down. "Alright, gear up! Two minutes people! Get hot!" He pauses and looks over, noticing his second in command still passed out. "Somebody wake up Hicks."

A clatter of activity starts as they don backpacks and weapons. Vasquez and Drake buckle on their smart-gun body harnesses. I'm watching intently, even though I'm getting this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach…and it's not because the Drop-Ship is getting ready for it's decent outside the colony. It's an odd feeling, one mixed with my fluctuating hormones, as well as hidden emotions trying to float back up to the surface. I shouldn't feel fear about the events that are about to take place. I know how everything goes, almost as though I have a mental book of cliff notes for every second that I'm here. But…it's different when you're _**safe**_ at home, _**safe**_ sitting on your couch…_**safe**_ knowing that everything you're watching on screen **isn't** real. But I'm **not** _safe_ anymore.

**I'm in _this_ reality**. These are **real people**, with **real souls**, and there are **Real Monsters **just waiting for our arrival. Human survival instincts tend to remind you of that truth when your sitting amongst a group of colonial marines about to embark in an adventure that nightmares are made of…

The seat belt thingy is removed and I'm finally able to get on my feet. Riddick looms behind me as I follow Ripley towards the Monitor Console, where Gorman's going over the video-feeds with a very focused eye. He may be fresh-meat when it comes to be a Lieutenant, but he's a good guy and is actually attempting to be a good marine. It's not his fault he's an ass-kisser.

We're gazing over the screens and Ripley becomes very interested. "That's the atmosphere processor?"

"Yeap, that's it. Remarkable piece of machinery. Completely automated." Burke explains and his voice takes on a hint of pride. "You know we manufacture those, by the way."

Ripley looks back at him, then to me and we both share the same look of, **'you're an ass'**.

Gorman plays with the controls of the MTOB, zooming in the image of the colony. "Okay, Ferro. Take us in lower over the main colony complex. Storm shutters are sealed. There's no visible activity. Alright. Hold at forty."

"**Roger." **Ferro replies and I can feel the Drop-ship moving at a normal pace.

"Give me a slow circle of the complex." Gorman says into his headset as Ripley and I look into the viewing screen. Watching it at home, on a television screen was one thing, seeing the actual layout of the compound this close, at this angle is beyond words. Every part of my rational mind is trying to remain intact as the child-like section of my brain is bouncing around like I just fed it about four pounds of sugar.

"Structure seems intact. They still have power." Ripley thinks aloud and looks to me, noticing how wide my eyes have become from the thoughts drifting through my brain. She gives me a concerned look but is stopped from asking any questions as Gorman gets our attention.

"Okay, Ferro. Set down on the landing grid. Immediate dust-off on my clear and then stay on station."

I sway back as the APC jerks a bit as the Drop-Ship finally touches down and releases the ramp. The APC drives away, and starts to really hit some rough terrain as it rolls over the wild landscape of LV-426 also known as Archeron. Which I've never known the planet's name before, until Ripley informed me when we had our talk. It was a brief moment before we actually sat down. I asked if this planet had a name and she mentioned it was Archeron. An odd name really, but definitely something that will always stick in my mind for the rest of my days. I pull my mind away from my onslaught of chaotic thoughts as all the soldiers are standing, rocking in place, prepared to leave the APC quickly.

"Ten seconds people! Look sharp!" Apone calls out over the background noise of the APC's wheels cranking over rocks and dips in the desolate landscape. "Alright, I want a nice, clean dispersal this time."

**::Outside Perspective::**

Onyx takes in a deep, quiet breath as the APC comes to a rolling stop. Which meant they are right outside the complex. Suddenly the crew door flies open. "Let's go! Move it out! Head'em out!" Apone barks while the troopers hit the ground running. They spread out, getting behind immediate cover of the colony's storm wall. Apone pulls out his starlight-scope binoculars and begins scanning the complex.

Apone looks over the surrounding area; the area is as a sunny day, though contrast and lurid, he looks over the colony buildings and streets. Rain pours down in sheets and trash blows in the streets. No other movement. Just an onslaught of rain pouring over their bodies as though nature's way of washing away all doubt, all fear that may try to cling to their tense forms.

Back in the APC, Ripley is watching everything going on through the vid-screens, along side Onyx as they peer over the monitors, while Gorman and Burke are in the background. Riddick is hidden from everyone except for Onyx, keeping himself very close to her as though he is only a shadow watching from the darkness. He knows as of right now, it's all her lead. But he's got the feeling that pretty soon he, as well as Onyx, are going to be along side Ripley when the shit hit's the fan.

"First squad up, on line. Hicks, get yours in a cordon. Watch the rear." Gorman announces into his headset as the marines begin to make their way toward the buildings.

Apone looks over to one of his smart-gunners. "Vasquez, take point. Let's move!" Sprinting in a skirmish line, Apone's team advances on the colony's main entry-lock. Parked across the ramp to lock is a heavy-duty tractor. Vasquez first, then everyone else falls in. She looks to Apone for the clearance to proceed. Apone waves them forward, "move up!"

Vasquez reaches the main doors in a quick sprint while carrying her heavy weapon with a graceful ease. Apone comes up and tries the door controls. Nothing. He looks over his shoulder, "Hudson, run a bypass."

Hudson, all business now, moves up and opens the door control panel. He pries off the facing and starts clipping on the bypass wires.

Meanwhile inside the APC, Onyx, Ripley and Gorman are all watching the APC monitors as Gorman says. "Second squad, move up. Flanking positions."

Onyx is nearly holding her breath as she watches the screens. She can sense the nervous energy Ripley is giving off as she waits in suspense as to what the marines are going to find when they get inside the complex. She wants to tell her everything is going to be fine, but she can't get herself to do it. Something deep within the crevices of her soul is reminding her, every time she wants to speak, that it's not time yet. Probably the beast, her beast, telling her to let things play out as much as possible.

Onyx is beginning to understand her primitive side more and more as the seconds flow forward into eternity. She's also beginning to understand that she can not, under any circumstances, let herself explain what's going to happen. Maybe in a selfish and slightly twisted way, she wants to live in the moment and experience everything as it's meant to happen. But the one thing she will not stand for, is to just stay back and remain silent when things do start to turn south. Onyx is too stubborn and caring to let good people die just because a part of her beast wants to watch the fun unfold. She will wait…and when the time comes…she'll be the one weapon that may change the odds against the Aliens… Especially when the Aliens realize they've just been offered fresh meat.

"Second squad on line." Apone's voice is filtered through his headset as Hicks's team move up from behind the storm barrier and stop behind the tractor. The wind howls wildly around the bleak structures. A loud snapping hiss is heard under the constant splatter of the rain as Hudson makes a connection. The door roars to life and rumbles aside, the pistons letting off slow, angered moans. Apone motions Vasquez inside. She goes through the door first, her massive weapon aimed for anything that might come across her path. Following her lead, the rest of the group move forward, right on her heels.

Following Vasquez, Hudson and Apone, the group moves into the complex. They come to an inner door that is jammed partway open, broken and somewhat clinging desperately off the hinges. Hudson moves up past Vasquez to the door, ready to do his work.

Apone keeps his voice low as he speaks. "You set?" Hudson nods to his master sergeant and they pull it open. The door shrieks in its tracks, as though crying out in protest. Just beyond their sight, a broad corridor stretches into the heart of the complex. Rain drips through blast-holes in the ceiling, almost as if they're wounds dripping with blood in various spots along the corridor. Evidence of a fire-fight with pulse rifles. Vasquez's focus is keen and sharp as she looks over the tortured scene. Moving forward, her smart-gun cannon swinging slowly back and forth as her eyes continue their silent analysis…_but where are the bodies_? She thinks and continues forward, remaining ever watchful.

Gorman's voice comes over the com. "Second team move inside…"

Hicks and his squad wait right outside the main concourse's door, waiting for further instruction when Gorman's voice, once again, filters through. "...Hicks, take the upper level." Hearing the go ahead, Hicks moves his team inside, careful and watchful as his comrades.

Apone and his team are still moving forward. Vasquez is ahead leading the group, swinging her smart-gun back and forth, looking for any signs of movement. After awhile it becomes very apparent that all they're going to find is water and wreckage…which seems to be just about everywhere. Still, there could be unseen threats just waiting for an ambush. So they remain frosty and alert. Can't let their guards down when they could very well be walking into a trap.

**-Back on the APC-**

Apone's voice filters through as everyone watches through the camera on his helmet, revealing the concourse and it's damage as he speaks. "Sir, are you copying this?... Looks like hits from small arms fire…" His voice trails off as he continues to move forward slowly, letting his camera take in the surrounding area. Ripley is becoming more on edge with every breath she takes and all Onyx has to offer is a reassuring pat on her shoulder. Ripley glances over to Onyx, meeting her sympathetic gaze and replies with a meek smile. They're eyes disconnect and re-focus on the monitors when Apone's voice begins speaking again. "We got some explosives damage. Probably seismic survey charges. Are you reading this? Keep it tight people."

Hicks leads his squad up the stairwell to the second floor. Ripley and Onyx watch Hicks' point of view on the APC monitors. They emerge cautiously. An empty corridor recedes into the dim distance. "Alright. Hicks...Hudson, use your motion trackers." They hear Gorman say and do so.

Hudson unslings a rugged piece of equipment and aims it down the hall. The screen on the instrument comes into his view. The machine gives off a continuous THUMP, THUMP, THUMP sound as it scans the area. No movement. Apone and his people move cautiously down the corridor.

Hicks is scanning his area with the tracker. "Nothing. Not a goddamn thing."

Gorman is looking over the monitors, while Ripley, Onyx, Burke and Riddick remain in a watchful silence as Gorman begins giving out orders. "Quarter and search by twos."

Apone's squad is on the First level, and come to a three-way junction. He signals them to split up and search systematically in pairs. That way they cover more ground in a shorter amount of time.

Hicks' group come to some damaged rooms on the Second level. Again…there are no bodies. Hicks pauses for a moment. "Okay, Dietrich...Frost, you're up." He says as they continue to move forward down the corridor. Hicks and Drake with his equally nasty smart-gun, take the lead and begin exploring the rooms. Furniture is pushed over, objects broken and strewn out across the room. It seems as though some _thing_ had completely torn everything apart, everywhere they look. The exterior windows are blown out. Shards of glass sparkle wetly along the deck as rain continues being pushed into the room by the howling wind.

Hudson and Vasquez come across some of the other colonists' apartments, little more than cubicles. Hudson, still holding the tracker, flanks Vasquez as they move forward down the corridor. Suddenly…his tracker beeps. His eyes focus and sees a white spot appear on the screen. Vasquez whirls around, cannon aimed and ready.

Onyx's ears itch at the sound and watches Gorman intensely as he hears the beeping and moves over to look at Hudson's monitor. She can see his face melting into an expression of unraveling nerves. She wants to tell him to chill, but why? He's nervous and there isn't much she can do about it. So she remains silent.

The beeping grows more frequent as Hudson advances toward a half-open door. Hudson motions Vasquez toward it. The door is partway open, as though inviting them with an unheard voice. They can see Pulse-rifle blast holes in the walls… The motion tracker screen shows that the movement is in the cubicle. Hudson points inside the door and mouths **'It's Inside There'** to Vasquez. Vasquez readies herself as Hudson puts his foot on the door and pushes it open with an ominous bang. Vasquez hustles inside quickly, followed by Hudson. They move over to another door, which is closed. Adrenaline pumping, swimming wildly through their heated veins, they ready themselves… When Hudson kicks the door in with a swift kick of his powerful leg. Vasquez goes in first, then Hudson, who lets out a growl obviously pumped up and ready to fight…

Inside, a hamster runs around in its cage, totally unaware of what has and what is going on around it.

"Uh…" Hudson says…slightly in disbelief as Vasquez sighs.

"Good one, Hudson." She murmurs under her breath and looks at the hamster with a smirk.

Hudson ignores her. "Uh, sir, we have a negative…" He pauses and focuses his camera on the hamster for Gorman to see through the feed. "...situation here. Uh, movin' on, sir."

Meanwhile, finishing their sweep of the damaged rooms, Hicks looks at a half-eaten donut beside a coffee cup overflowing with rainwater.

Ripley is watching Hicks' monitor, when something catches her eye and she immediately needs to speak up. "Wait! Wait, tell him to…" She pauses when Onyx hands her a headset. "Hicks. Backup. Pan right. There." Onyx stands directly next to her as they watch through Drake's camera. The image shifts, revealing a section of floor that has been melted away in an irregular pattern.

They watch as Hicks kneels down by the holes. "You seeing this all right? Looks melted. Somebody must have bagged one of Ripley's bad guys here."

Ripley looks over to Burke, who has his hand to his chin in thought and says. "Acid for blood."

Onyx nudges Ripley to Vasquez's camera view where they can see Hudson looking up at something. "If you like that, you're gonna love this…" His voice trails off when the angle of the camera pans out and lets the surrounding area fill the screen. Hudson's standing beneath a gaping hole. Another hole, directly beneath the other, is at his feet. The acid has melted right down through two levels into the maintenance level. Hudson leans over the hole and spits into it. It drops for a long way down into an eternity of blackness. Vasquez playfully nudges him towards the hole.

Hudson jumps back. "Quit screwin' around!"

Apone speaks into his headset. "Second squad, what's your status?"

Hicks replies. "We just finished our sweep. Nobody's home."

"Roger. Sir...uh, this place is dead. Whatever happened here, I think we missed it." Apone reports back to Gorman and waits for further instructions.

Gorman thinks for a moment. "Alright, the area's secure. Let's go in and see what their computer can tell us."

Onyx bites her lip from speaking when Ripley protests. "Wait a minute. The area's not secure…"

Gorman cuts her off, "The area's secure, Ripley. First team, head to operations…" Ripley grits her teeth…and is clearly annoyed with Gorman's very stupid decision and keeps in the urge to smack him upside the head. He continues talking into the headset even though he has no idea what he's getting him and his team into. "...Hudson, see if you can get their CPU on line."

Hudson replies in short. "Affirmative."

"Hicks, meet me at the South Lock. We're coming in." Gorman announces into the headset and hears Hicks say 'Roger'.

Hudson covers his helmet microphone while looking at Vasquez. "He's coming in. I feel safer already." He says sarcastically and begins walking away.

"Pendejo Jerk-off." Vasquez mutters and follows suit.

**-End Chapter Thirty-Five-**


	36. Chapter 36:: The Child Within

**Onyx's Note::** I just want to say thank you, to everyone who's been following me through this crazy story of mine. (Especially Nicole, thank you Darlin' :D) It means a lot to me, even if you're merely reading and not leaving feedback, thank you. Alright...enough of my ramblings... Onto the next chapter, shall me?  
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::Her Perspective::

The APC begins to roll down a deserted street of the complex and stops at the South Lock. I can feel my heart fluttering in my chest. This feeling isn't a good one. It's the kind of feeling that's a silent warning right before something really bad happens. I can't think about this right now, because in a way, I think this feeling is coming from Ripley. I can tell she's not all that excited about going into that complex. But we don't have a choice. The APC's engines growl as it sits under the continuous downpour and I know that Frost and Hicks are waiting for us at the lock. The APC's crew door slides back, with a mechanical groan and Gorman goes first, followed by Burke, Ripley, Riddick and then myself. I almost don't believe what I'm seeing.

The air itself holds a strange scent to it, as though a hint of death lingers against the onslaught of rain that continues to fall from the heavens. I let my eyes make a quick scan of my surroundings and I feel my heart drop. It really IS a desolate landscape…so alien to everything I know. There are no trees, no animals… There is nothing green, not even algae. I can't hear anything but the violent wind and the cold rain slapping against the metal body of the APC. A cold, empty feeling slithers up my spine and I suddenly feel very small, almost non-existent. Oh gods… I don't want this. I've always loved Xenomorphs because I knew they weren't real. But here, I can sense them…sleeping, waiting, clustered together in their dank, humid hive.

Wait a minute…I can _sense_ them. How in the hell can I sense them? I've never even been close to one! I shouldn't be able to sense them…something's seriously wrong here. No, no everything is just out of whack and I need to sort this internal chaos out. I don't want them noticing me, sensing them. I need to cut off the link and hope that I haven't seriously fucked everything up.

_Block it out…block it out…block it out…_

I nearly jump out of my skin when I feel a large hand touch my shoulder. "Jesus!" I bark out in surprise and realize it's just Riddick, standing in front of me, wild streams of rain water dancing down the intense features of his handsome face.

"You okay?" He asks with a deep tone, deeper then usual… A tone much like that of his beast when it revealed itself to me back on the Serenity.

I blink a few times and finally feel my body…I'm shivering. "Yea… Yea I'm okay." My voice is broken under the downpour and seems to be stolen away from my lips by a gust of wind.

His hand is gently gripping my shoulder, his brows furrowed. "You felt them… Just now, didn't you?"

My mouth hangs open for a moment by his statement but shuts when it dawns on me that we're still very linked. I close my eyes, take a deep breath and let it out. "I did…" I nod and look into the goggles protecting his gaze. "You don't think I…?"

He shakes his head. "No, you cut the link before they could realize you're mind was probing. You've got to be careful Onyx, this isn't a movie anymore."

"I didn't mean to Riddick!" I protest just loud enough so that he can understand me, without catching anyone else's attention…especially Ripley's. "I don't know what just happened. I was standing here thinking and suddenly I got this very strange sensation like…"

Riddick cuts me off, his palm sliding down my arm to hold my hand in his. "…something was breathing in your mind."

I narrow my eyes with a dark curiosity. "Yea…how'd you?"

"I felt it too Onyx. Remember?" He taps his free hand to his left temple. "We're connected."

I give a weak smile and swallow the hard lump forming in the back of my throat. I can't seem to shake this bad feeling that's filling the crevices of my mind. I'd like it to just go away, but it's lingering. Like the feeling of motion sickness even though you know you're standing completely still. That sinking feeling, just in the pit of your stomach, hard as a stone, digging into your organs, making you feel like you've got something growing inside of you and you can't get rid of it no matter what you eat or drink.

He motions with his head and tugs at my hand. "Come on. Let's start moving." I follow him silently, our hands still locked together and in a small way just his hand wrapped around mine gives me a brief sense of comfort.

We walk up to Ripley and Gorman announces. "Okay, let's go."

Bishop appears from the other side of the APC and our small group starts moving toward the complex. I'm starting to feel very uneasy, like I'm about to walk into the very mouth of hell. I furrow my brow and turn my head back, noticing Ripley lagging a few steps behind us. I release Riddick's hand and he looks at me with a silent understanding. My eyes plead with him and he merely nods his head and tilts his chin, telling me to go ahead to Ripley. I give him a short smile and start back toward Ripley.

I make it back and walk along side her. We don't say anything, don't really have to. I can feel that she really appreciates my presence right now. And to be honest, I'm thankful for hers as well. Damn…it must be really hard for her. Think about it from my perspective… I'm tossed into my favorite Movie, and I know everything that's going to happen. And I'm not alone. I have Riddick. But as of right now, she has no one. No family, no one to console her. Right now, I'm the only other person, the only other female in this fucked up reality that understands. It's a bond we share… Both alien to this existence, both having to cope with the fact that we'll never see our families or friends again… Both females without the kind of training everyone else has, including Riddick. He's _been_ in the military. Where as I have not, and neither Ripley. Well not a soldier's training anyway. Almost forget that she was Lieutenant First Class before the company, Wayland-Yutani, stripped her of that title when she went through the briefing with them about what happened to the Nostromo. Now she's just a Lieutenant. To me? She's the hero…just like Riddick. And I'm merely the glue that keeps things together in this one. Man…I'm going to need a shit load of therapy when this hell is over. But I have a feeling…that we're all in for more then we've bargained for. And coming from me… That's fucking terrifying.

We start up the ramp and I can see Hicks and Frost waiting for us. I go to step forward when I notice that she's frozen in place, becoming even more soaked by the rain. I watch her take an uneasy breath as she stares passed me at the complex. I turn my gaze to Hicks and meet his green eyes.

He knows what's happening and comes down to meet us and looks to Ripley. "Are you alright?"

Her voice is soft, almost fleeting as she blinks the rain away from her eyes. "Yes." And starts forward, passed me and Hicks and I see Riddick waiting for me at the top of the ramp.

He glances over to Ripley and she returns his gaze, and for a moment I see them making a silent connection of understanding. They nod to each other and he follows her inside, where as I'm still walking with Hicks toward the doors.

"You ready for this?" I say and look to Hicks as we stop just before entering the large doors.

The man is a dish, plain and simple. I love Riddick the gorgeous bastard that he is, don't get me wrong, but Hicks has always been the one character I've melted over every time I let my eyes fall on him. Hell even Hudson, who in the movie was played by a young and very good looking Bill Paxton is tasty in his own right. Hudson is a sexy dork, but Hicks…drool factor from one to ten? About a twenty.

He cants his head at me, a small smile edging over his lips. "At this point, I don't think we have a choice." Hicks replies with a pleasant tone and a hint of a hidden spark of interest in his beautiful eyes. "Let's head inside."

I nod, returning the smile and walk with him passed the massive doors that begin to close. A whining hiss enters the air only to shift into an extremely loud bang as the doors lock in place. The sheer velocity of the echoing clang of reinforced steel causes me to cover my ears with my hands and shake my head. I feel like my brain just rattled from the intensity of it. I feel a gentle caress on my arm and look to my right thinking it's Riddick… But it's Hicks. "Sensitive ears?"

I shake my head like an animal ridding itself of water and nod. "You have no idea." I murmur with a chuckle and he smiles at the comment.

"Watch your footing, it gets a little tricky." Hicks announces from behind me and gently motions me forward through a hole.

I manage not to fall on my ass and pass the obstacle and pause next to Riddick and Ripley. I look back and see a hole in what seems to have been a barricade blocking the corridor. My eyes scan my surroundings and I find myself staring at the scene in front of me. The colonists must have been desperate by the sight of a hastily-welded wall of pipes, steel-plating including outer-door panels and some kind of machinery. A lump of anxiety filled horror fills my throat as my eyes take in the sight of what look to be Acid-holes…which have slashed through the floor and along the walls in several places. The metal is scratched and twisted by something obviously not human, appearing as though some hideously powerful force tore through the place and peeled back the metal like a soup can on one side.

I finally get a look at Drake as he approaches Gorman ahead of us as we very slowly edge into the corridor. Jesus Drake is tall bastard. Has to be at least six feet and four inches. White blonde hair, cropped short under his signature bandana, his bright blue eyes and full lips giving his intense features an essence of youth, even though he has this permanent Kiss My Ass look on his face. The smart-gun he's holding makes a twelve gauge look like a kid's toy gun.

"Sir?" Drake says as he stands before Gorman. "They sealed off this wing at both ends. Welded the doors and blocked off the stairs with heavy equipment."

Gorman looks to Drake, "uh huh." He says thoughtfully as Ripley edges closer to me, both of us lagging behind with Hicks behind her, Riddick behind me.

"But, it looks like the barricade didn't hold." Drake concludes and holds up the smart-gun like it weighs nothing at all.

"Any bodies?" Gorman inquires and Drake shakes his head.

"No, sir."

I glance over and see Frost, more eye candy with his rich dark skin, darker then Riddick's. "Last stand. Must have been a helluva' fight." He says while looking around.

Hicks however, has a different expression on his face. Almost similar to Frost's, a look of amazement, except for the hint of worry lying just beneath his intelligent gaze. "Yeah. looks that way."

Gorman's stature can only be described as though he's got a corn cob up his ass. "Alright. Drake...this way. We should be able to cut through the Med-Lab to Operations."

I hold my breath as we follow Gorman and Drake down the corridor of devastation. I look over to Ripley and watch as she sticks close to the wall to our right, her face whiter then usual, her eyes held in a widened state of fear and paranoia. She ain't the only one feeling like that. My skin is starting to crawl. I don't like it. Jesus what the hell was I thinking? Just jumping into a situation that is beyond my comprehension? It's that fucking beast inside of me…I know it. Damned thing wants chaos and devastation! Well you know what? My internal _beastie_ is going to do as I Say when I fucking Say it! I'm so sick and fucking tired of being dictated by my emotions. This time I'm going to be smart, I'm going to be the knowledge in this situation, not the hero. Oh hell no. Not my job. That's someone else's job description. I'm a no-body.

I'm going to keep to the shadows, close to Riddick. I'm going to let my connection thicken with him, let his mind absorb all of the information I have of this movie. I can't do this be myself, I'm not wonder woman. With Riddick knowing every intricate detail of what's ahead, I won't feel so alone anymore. I just hope he won't back away… We can't back out now, even if this isn't our scene. These people need our help, regardless of how much we want to leave.

I let my eyes trail over to Riddick and he's just…staring at me. I can tell he's going through the transition process of memories. As the seconds tick by, memories filling his mind, an outline of the plot, everything I've ever absorbed when it came to Xenomorphs and this movie. He does not look happy. It's like a light went off in his mind and just blew out by all the information he's just downloaded. _Shit… I didn't think our link was That strong! Crap…he really doesn't look happy._

I take a deep breath and feel him press up against my back, pushing my body forward. There's a soft swirling mist of tension emitting from his pores. _Yea…he's not happy at all. _Trying to remain focused forward, the stench of an invisible tragedy slithering through the stale air toward my mind on wings of warning, causing chills to run up and down my spine. _Damn it, damn it, damn it! No fear…please just let me get through this… I can't get scared now. Not now…please not now._

"Keep moving _Onyx_…" The sheer depth of his tone proves to me that he's not happy with me. It's dark, feral, wild in a sense. I know that right now, saying anything will only end with me getting severely barked at. I know that when he has the chance to get me alone, I'm going to get completely chewed a new asshole. I don't blame him…if anything…I expect it.

Moving forward, the soldiers' pack-lights play over the devastation of the colonists' last ditch battle. _What a horrible way to go out_… I think as I notice the way the equipment of the Med-Labs, has been uprooted to add to the barrier. It seems it was a last second decision, seeing as the barrier reminds me of a child's attempt at a fort. But, a lot of it is still in place and intact. The Med-Labs' lighting is tinted with an iridescent blue, reminding me of an medical examination room, causing the stretched shadows to appear like lost ghosts along the walls. Burke touches Gorman, pointing him to something across the room. I narrow my eyes and feel my heart beat jump a few thousand paces as everyone moves forward.

I hesitate when Ripley slows in her movements, her eyes transfixed on something. The others approach, seeing what she sees. She has stopped at the door of a second room, part of the Med-Labs area. In a storage alcove, at near eye-level, stand six transparent cylinders filled with liquid, each lit from beneath. Oh my god…they're Stasis Tubes. What's drifting within the liquid inside the tubes causes my stomach to clench into millions of tightly weaved knots. I know what she sees…I know what those large Severed Arthritic looking Hands are… Their eight fingers curled in a stiffened, corpse like pose.

Hicks comes up behind Ripley and looks in the room from the doorway, his eyes wide. "Lieutenant." He waits, no answer so he barks. "Gorman!"

I stand back as Mr_. I've Got A Corn Cob Up My Ass _comes over. Hicks and Gorman aka _Corn Cob Boy_, move passed Ripley into the room. I wait, Riddick still close behind me as Burke and Bishop follow the others closely. My legs don't want to move, even when I try to get myself to move forward, my knees lock and I'm stuck in place. _Great timing…stupid body. _I growl inwardly and feel Riddick's hands grip each side of my waist, the sensation somehow stimulating the nerves throughout my body, sending energy down my thighs and suddenly I've got control of my legs again. _That was…odd. _I think to myself and move into the room, staying very close to Ripley who has this expression on her face that somehow represents how I'm feeling internally. It's that look that basically says, _'Oh god no… Please let these things not be real…_' yea…that look.

Burke, fucking leach that he is, looks to Ripley. "Are these the same ones?"

She nods, still unable to speak. Burke walks over and leans close to one of the cylinders in fascination, his face almost touching it... I'm not thinking, the anticipation too great and my right hand lashes out and grabs onto Ripley's hand. Her hand immediately reacts by grasping mine, her palm is clammy from fear.

"Careful, Burke!" Ripley snaps and Burke looks back at her.

I take a deep breath and hold it when he turns back to the cylinder when the Creature inside lunges suddenly, slamming against the glass. Burke, jumps back as his eyes become the size of dinner plates. Hell so does everyone else. From the palm of the thing's body emerges a pearlescent Tubule, which slithers tongue-like over the inside of the glass. My immediate reaction is to find a gun and just blow the fucking thing into oblivion. _God I hate Face-Huggers…_I shiver and feel Ripley gently squeeze my hand. I let my eyes look into hers and suddenly I feel like she heard my thoughts… Her eyes seem to hold a realization, as though she can sense that I really do know more about what's going then I've let on. _Oh boy…_

"I'm sorry." I say and let go of her hand, trying to avert my gaze at the same time. "My nerves got the better of me."

I can feel her still looking down at me, probably wondering what the hell she just sensed coming off of me a few seconds ago.

"Looks like love at first sight to me." Hicks chimes sarcastically at Burke and I look over at him, seeing the nervous look on Burke's face. "Oh, he likes you, Burke." He adds as Bishop picks up a file-folder from between two of the dead specimen tanks.

"Two are alive, the rest are dead." Burke announces and flicks through the file-folder's pages. I watch him as he starts scanning over what's probably a medical chart printout with hand-written entries. "Surgically removed before embryo implantation. Subject: Marachuk, John J. Died during the procedure." He stops reading and looks up. "They killed him taking it off."

My heart feels like it's going to explode when suddenly I jump, along with everyone else by a Loud Beeping. I've become so immersed in the moment that it takes a minute to realize it's Hicks' motion tracker, being held by Frost, which has seemed to come to life.

Something is _moving_ in its scanning range…

**Beep… Beep…**

"Yo, Hicks! I think we got something here." Frost calls out, his eyes plastered on the screen of the motion-tracker as everyone gathers around him to look closely at the tracker.

"Behind us." Hicks says and my heart is slowly calming down.

"One of us?" Ripley asks looking from the motion-tracker to Gorman.

Gorman begins talking into his head-set. "Apone...where are your people? Anybody in D-Block?"

We're all on edge, when Apone's voice is heard through the air. "That's a negative. We're all in Operations." Suddenly everyone is on edge and I feel like I'm going to suffocate from all the anxiety filled tension filling the air. Drake moves up ahead of the group. Frost falls in next to him. We all start heading toward the source of the signal.

I still can't shake this other feeling of excitement…that I'm actually apart of this as it's happening! In all of my short existence I used to dream about a chance like this… But gods, now that I'm Literally living in the moment…I could use a strong drink. I swallow down my thoughts as Drake keeps his smart-gun aimed ahead at all times as we move forward.

_I just want to scream! The continuous beeping is causing the adrenaline in my blood to pump faster and faster… _

"Talk to me, Frosty." Drake says back to Frost who's right behind him.

"Just keep moving baby." Frost replies, his eyes still held on the surface of the Motion-tracker as a white dot flashes in his sight.

As the soldiers ahead of me round an array of complicated equipment, Gorman accidentally knocks over a metal canister, sending it clanging wildly against the floor. Both Ripley and I jump like a cat. She gives Gorman a dirty look and moves passed him. I however, am tired of being silent.

"Real smooth Corn-Holio…" I say under my breath and watch as his head whips toward me, a confused look adorning his big eyes. _I guess he's never heard of Beavis and Butthead…figures._

"It's moving." Hicks says as we continue moving forward at very slow pace.

"Which way?" Drake asks, still holding the big ass smart-gun like it's nothing. If this were any other time, I'd be drooling at all the fuckin' eye-candy surrounding me. And for the simple fact that I've always had a thing for Military boys…and I'm very close to the period of doom…this is really not my idea of a good time.

"It's coming straight for us." Frost replies and nods his head forward. "Straight up."

We move ahead into an adjoining corridor when Hicks' tracker starts beeping rapidly.

**Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep!**

I strain my neck and I catch the sight of the tracker's screen showing the object moving closer. It counts down the feet until contact and suddenly I remember what's actually moving ahead of us…

It all becomes a blur when something moves in the dark, jumping across the corridor. I can hear my voice echoing loudly along the metal as I bellow out. "**WAIT**!!"

As the sound of my voice bounces down the corridor Drake, in a moment of slow motion, Pivots smoothly to fire. In the same instant as my call fades away, Hicks' rifle slashes out, slamming Drake's barrel upward. A stream of tracer fire rips into the ceiling in an array of blinding red light and suddenly everything speeds back up.

Drake stands up straight and glares at Hicks. "You fuck!" He growls but is cut off.

"Hold up!" Hicks barks back and then looks behind him, toward us, and in a softer voice says. "Ripley." And motions for her to come over. Trusting his judgment, she moves passed me and comes up beside him. They crouch down by a row of steel cabinets and Hicks aims his light under them. Silently, I creep up and crouch down in the background and I can see her…

Lit by Hicks' pack-light...I can see a tiny cowering figure. A very dirty, very terrified little girl. She grips the head of a large doll, holding it by the hair…

_Oh my god…_

_It's… __**Newt**__!!_

**-End Chapter Thirty-Six-**


	37. Chapter 37:: Smoking or NonSmoking?

**::Outside Perspective::**

Ripley's eyes widen at what she sees. For a moment she thought she was seeing Amy…the daughter that she lost. "Hey, shhhhh. It's alright. Come on." She coaxes softly as the little girl just stares like a scared rabbit hiding in a hole.

Hicks begins reaching under the cabinets to grab her. Newt inches away each time he comes too close. Onyx decides to come into play and slides up next to Ripley, catching Newt's attention. The little girl, who's obviously been through an eternity of horror in a very short amount of time has this gaze that reminds Onyx of a wild animal, looking at humans for the first time. Just Onyx's presence gives Hicks enough time to maneuver himself into a position where he can grab her.

"Just grab her, Corporal." Gorman says with little to no compassion in his voice. Onyx turns toward him and growls, catching him off guard and causing him to just stand still, completely silent.

Ripley is still focused on Newt, trying with her softest voice to get the little girl to respond. "Don't be afraid. Come on. We won't hurt you. Shhhh, it's alright. It's okay. Come on out. Come on. Easy. Easy…"

Newt finally gets herself jammed in a corner and Hicks is able to grab her wrist. "I got her!"

Newt bites him on the hand and bolts like a shot, scuttling along beneath the floor grilling. Hicks yanks his hand back in pain. "Owwwwww! Damn!"

"Watch her!" Gorman calls out from behind and makes a point this time to stand back, keeping distance between himself and Onyx. There's something about her he can't place, and he's not all that comfortable with it either. The fact that she just growled at him wasn't what bothered him the most…it was the way her eyes seemed to glow red for a split second that caused his skin to crawl. _Maybe he was just seeing things…_

Everyone is up on their feet, following Newt as she crawls under the panels beneath them, close to the wall. Ripley is the first one in line, keeping herself locked on the little girl at all times. "Don't let her go!"

"She's under the grill!" Hicks exclaims and keeps his light on the deck.

"Frost, use your lantern." Gorman calls when Onyx cuts him off by stealing the words right out of his mind.

"Frost, get your light up here!" She barks and moves back, allowing Frost to get to Hicks and Ripley.

Frost passes Onyx and focuses his light. "Right here!"

"Where'd she go?!" Ripley asks in a heightened voice and looks frantically for Newt.

"She's on the other side of us!" Hicks replies and tries to keep his light on the small moving form under the panels.

"Shine your light!" Ripley is becoming more determined to keep her focus locked on the little girl that's trying to get away from all the light and sounds of the group.

Bishop moves ahead and spots the agile little Newt. "Down here! Here, here!"

Frost adds on to Bishop's statement, his light also locked on the same spot. "Here, here!"

Gorman has also become immersed in the excitement and sees what they see. "There she is!"

Ripley's maternal instincts kick in to full gear. "Keep back! Keep back! Don't scare her!"

"Grab her, man! We're going to loose her!" Hicks exclaims as Newt reaches an air duct set in the baseboard and scrambles inside.

"Damn it!" Ripley snarls and grabs Bishop's light and dives, squirming her body into the duct without thinking.

Frost says, "She can't get out!" But everyone is too busy focused on if Ripley can reach the little girl before she gets away.

**-Inside the Ventilation Room-**

Newt enters the room and quickly turns to lock the duct's grille door. But Ripley, being much stronger, pushes the grille open before the child can latch it, and crawls in after her. "Wait! Wait!" She calls out to the little girl and watches as her small form backs into a cul-del-sac in the tiny steel chamber. Ripley shines her light around in amazement. It is a NEST. A nest built by a child. Wadded up blankets and pillows line the space, mixed up with a haphazard array of toys, stuffed animals, dolls, cheap jewelry, comic books, empty food packets, and even a battery-operated tape player. She looks up, hearing a soft thunder and peers at a rotating fan drum above her head. She keeps her eyes above and then looks down while moving silently forward.

"It's okay. It's alright. Don't be afraid." Ripley says softly and picks up one of the cheap jewelry pearl necklaces and holds it up in front of Newt as she moves forward. "See?"

Newt's not buying it and is trying desperately to back further away, but the wall behind her is stopping her. Nowhere to run. Nowhere, except another air duct right beside her. She dives for the hatch.

"Wait! No you don't!" Ripley says and grabs her, controlling the girl in a bear hug. The child struggles wildly, hands and feet flying, like a cat at the veterinarians office. "It's okay! Everything is going to be alright now! _Shhhhhh_! Easy, easy...it's going to be okay. It's alright, your going to be okay." Newt squirms and makes soft whimpering sounds, slowly calming down. "_Shhhh_, _shhhh_, _shhhh_...easy..._easy_." Newt finally stops struggling and goes limp, almost catatonic.

Ripley looks over to her side and notices something amidst the debris...a framed photograph of Newt, dressed up and smiling. In embossed white letters underneath, it says: **Second Grade Citizenship Award, Rebecca Jordan.**

Looking back down at Newt in her arms, Ripley strokes the girl's hair in a motherly fashion, keeping her calm. Newt is lost somewhere within the depths of her mind, staring ahead of her…out into nothing…

**-Operations - Manager's Office-**

**::Her Perspective::**

I stand back as Hicks opens the storm shutters on all the windows. I can see that a thick, billowing fog has rolled in and covered up the landscape outside, as though it were some kind of unearthly veil. Holding in the secrets of what lies ahead…

"Hey…" I hear the familiar voice and turn to my right. It's Hicks. "You doin' okay?"

I think for a moment, look behind him and see Riddick watching me, his goggles covering his gaze. I look back to Hicks and give a nod. "I'm fine thanks."

He his brows furrow curiously and gives a smile of understanding before walking off, leaving me to look out into the landscape. No more then a few seconds pass by when Riddick is suddenly to my left, his body emitting waves of dangerous heat, causing the fine hairs along my spine to stand on end.

"You're awfully quiet." He growls out in a low tone and I'm forced to swallow the lump that just formed in the back of my throat.

"Just thinking…" I reply softly and try not look at him. I know he wants to have a conversation with me, and there really isn't anything I can do to avoid it. "You want to talk me don't you?"

He nods, facing forward just like me. "Sure do…" Riddick pauses to turn toward me, and even though his gaze is covered in those pitch black goggles, I can feel his eyes burning into me. "You want the sugar coated version or the truth." He states in a voice that makes me even more uncomfortable.

I take a deep breath and hold my arms tightly across my chest. "The truth." I say and let my eyes fall on his… I can't tell what he's thinking, he's blocked me out and his face is a portrait of stone. A cold, emotionless expression giving me no hint as to what he's about to say.

"This whole time, going to find you, finding the wormhole, chained up by an evil twin brother whom I never knew about. We managed to get through it, then fought each other, made it through that, and then headed toward the rift, which you from day one, instinctively knew what was beyond the wormhole. Yet you only told me so much and we end up here with this squad and now we're stuck in the bowels of hell." He pauses in his speech and brings his face closer to mine and I feel my little bubble of safety pop out of existence, leaving me completely vulnerable. "And then, you spring the information to me via mental link, right after we've already touched down. You kept all of this from me until we landed…and you want to know something?" I bite my bottom lip as he lifts his goggles just slightly, letting me see his silver gaze and grins. "This sure as hell beats Mercs and going back to Slam."

I blink a few times as he slides the goggles back down, the grin becoming larger on his face. "Wait…you're not mad at me?"

"Not mad, can't be." He says and the grin becomes a softer smile, one filled with appreciation. "Yea we're about to be overwhelmed with Aliens but, here…because of you… I have my life back. You've given me a freedom I would never have known if I had never gone out to find you."

"Oh…" I'm completely stunned… I don't even know how to answer that.

"The answer to your question is we're even. So don't worry about me being angry. Just don't keep anything from me again, understand?"

I nod, a wave of relief washing through me, devouring the tension from my nerves. "Well I can't keep anything from you now that we really have a mental link from hell."

"Yea, so stop checking out Hicks and Hudson. Hicks, I can deal with, he's a good man… But Hudson?"

My jaw hangs loose and a swell of heat rushes into my face out of embarrassment. "I wasn't checking him out." I say softly, hoping no one heard that.

He gives an unimpressed smirk. "Like hell you weren't. You know it, I know it, so stop trying to play it off."

I narrow my eyes at him. "Oh and you're innocent? I know you've been checking out Vasquez since we hooked up with these people."

"Can you blame me? Have you seen her ass?"

I growl and slug his bicep causing him to chuckle at my reaction. "What? You were doing it too."

"Shutup Riddick." I snarl and turn away from him, trying not to smile. "I was admiring her physique purely out of an artist's perspective."

I hear him grunt and feel his breath on the left side of my neck. "I bet there's a part of you that's dying to see her naked…"

Before I can even think to blink I spin around and clock him square in the chest, damn near knocking the wind out of him. Riddick steps back and balances on his feet, a devilish grin on his lips. "Damn baby, I might actually bruise from that one." He muses hoarsely and rubs his chest.

As soon as the moment passes, my eyes are wide with surprise and I feel like a spotlight has just drenched over my body as Hicks, Apone, Drake, Vasquez and Hudson are all looking at me with surprise in their brows. "I…need to see how Ne…" I trail off and correct myself. "See how the munchkin's doing." I try to keep my gaze to the floor as I pass their eyes peering at me, trying to get myself to Ripley as soon as possible.

Right as I pass the group I hear Hudson crack at joke. "Hey Vasquez, looks like you've got yourself a twin."

She retaliates with a sigh. "Why don't you do everyone a favor and find something useful to do, as in…shut up." Vasquez says with a slight Hispanic accent to her voice and I get passed them without hearing anymore commentary.

I finally make my way up to Ripley and see that Newt's sitting on a desk, legs dangling over the side, looking at a point in space. Ripley enters first, carrying a coffee mug. She and I stand and watch Gorman trying to talk to Newt. Of course, when it comes to kids, he's got about as much communication skills as peanut. Holding in the smirk just thinking about Gorman being a peanut, I glance over and notice another female Marine, think her name is Dietrich, standing next to Gorman. I let my brain process the information and I remember that it is Dietrich and she the med-tech for the squad.

"What's her name again?" Gorman asks and looking at Newt.

Dietrich replies, "Rebecca."

Gorman leans in front of Newt while Dietrich watches her readouts from a portable Bio-Monitoring terminal in her hand. "Now think, Rebecca. Concentrate. Just start at the beginning. Where are your parents?" Newt gives him no response. "Now look, Rebecca. You have to try and help…"

Ripley and I share a look and she steps forward, cutting him off. "Gorman! Give it a rest why don't you."

Gorman straightens up with a sigh of dismissal. "Total brainlock."

"Physically, she's okay. Borderline malnutrition, but I don't think there's any permanent damage." Dietrich explains to Gorman and he appears annoyed.

"Come on. We're wasting our time." He says with irritation in his voice and goes to exit the room with Dietrich when he catches my gaze and looks visibly nervous for moment. I narrow my eyes at him as he clears his throat and walks off.

_Weird… _I think to myself and stay at the door, watching as Ripley kneels down beside Newt. The poor little thing continues to stare ahead blankly.

"Try this. It's a little hot chocolate." She says and wraps Newt's hands around the cup. Slowly, Ripley raises it to her lips for her. The girl drinks mechanically, spilling some down her chin. "Here you go… Ooop, that good, huh?" Ripley wipes away the spilt coco, causing some of the dirt on Newt's face to come away.

"Uh oh. I made a clean spot here." She announces while wiping the dirt away and pauses. "Now I've done it. Guess I'll just have to do the whole thing." She pulls a small water canteen away from her person, pours some of its contents inside the empty cup, she then dips the cloth into the water and gently washes Newt's face. "Hard to believe there's a little girl under all this." She says and gives Newt a warm look. "And a pretty on too."

Newt doesn't seem to know she's there. "You don't talk much, do you?" Ripley adds softly and I feel my chest tighten. Just thinking about what that little girl has gone through really gets to me. Apparently the feeling is mutual as Ripley looks to me with the same expression on her face.

**-Operations- **

**::Riddick's Perspective::**

I've managed to keep out of sight for most of this trip, but I think I should join in and see if I can be of any help. I didn't want to leave Onyx back there, but she's alright with Ripley. She's taken to her very well. They have this Mother and Daughter thing going on, and with Newt coming into play, it makes their bond stronger. That's why I'm going to busy myself with the technical shit and leave the emotional stuff to her. That's definitely her field description. I should know, she's brought emotions and feelings out of me that I thought I had lost a very long time ago.

I bring my eyes over to a Monitor Screen. It looks like an abstract of the main-colony ground-plan. I silently make myself comfortable as the ground team gather around a terminal in the computer center. Hudson has the main computer's CPU on-line.

Hudson operates a joystick controller, which moves the ground-plan around. "Smoking or non-smoking?" He asks sarcastically while smacking his lips on a piece of gum.

Here goes Gorman, or as Onyx likes to call him _Corn-Holio_. "Just tell me what your scanning for private?"

"PDT's." Hudson replies still scanning the monitor.

_Corn-Holio _himself gets a confused look on his face. _Heh…Onyx has a great sense of humor. _"Huh?" Gorman chimes and Burke informs him.

"Personal-Data Transmitters. Every colonist had one surgically implanted."

Hudson adds in to the conversation. "If they're within twenty clicks, we'll read it out here...but so far, zip."

**-Operations - Manager's Office-**

**::Her Perspective::**

I've maneuvered myself into the room next to Ripley as she washes Newt's tiny hands with the cloth, pink skin emerging from the black grime. "I don't know how you managed to stay alive. But, you're one brave kid, Rebecca."

Newt's voice is all but inaudible. "N-newt."

Ripley leans closer. The single syllable was incomprehensible. "What did you say?" She asks softly and peers into the little girls blue/gray eyes, which seem to be slowly coming back to life.

"Newt. My n-name's Newt. Nobody calls me Rebecca, except my brother."

Ripley grins. She speaks quietly, not wanting to break the spell. "Newt. I like that. I'm Ripley. It's nice to meet you. And who is this, huh?" Ripley lifts Newt's filthy left hand up which still clutches the disembodied head of a doll.

Newt looks at the head. "Casey."

Ripley looks to the doll's dirty face. "Hello, Casey." She stops and looks back into Newt's eyes. "And what about your brother, what's his name?"

"Timmy."

"Is Timmy around here too? Maybe hiding like you were?" Ripley asks and I can see the look on Newt's face. I feel my heart bleed as Newt seems to close up, staring away from Ripley, not making eye-contact.

Ripley keeps trying, "any sisters?" Newt shakes her head 'no' barely moving. "Mom and Dad?"

Newt nods once more, almost imperceptibly. Ripley gently takes her face in her hands. "Newt...look at me. Where are they?"

Suddenly a strong voice pours out of Newt. "They're **dead**!" Ripley drops her hand. "All right?! Can I go now?!"

"I'm sorry, Newt. Don't you think you'd be safer here with us?" Newt shakes her head "no" with chilling certainty. "These people are here to protect you. They're soldiers."

Newt cuts her off with a soft, and chilling response that causes my blood to run cold. "It won't make any difference."

**-End Chapter Thirty-Seven-**


	38. Chapter 38:: Check Those Corners

**[Onyx's Note:: **I just want to say a quick thank you to everyone, (which includes you lurkers out there :D) for staying with me as I continue on this crazy journey of mine lol.

And, so far...Onyx and Riddick have just gone along with the Aliens story line... But in This Chapter...things begin to change. And on that note, Enjoy!!

* * *

_Dripping through the cracks of hidden things, terrible secrets…like that of a plague bleeding from the twisted lips of the damned. Their whispers become a deafening poison into the ears of the innocent. Silence a tranquil necessity, blinding, unforgiving to the courageous. _

_They shall walk amongst the wicked, the deviant, the devils of an abyss untouched, unknown by the living. A bitter sweet symphony of disaster to their demonic ways. Sweet whispers of the damned…do not forsake them. Let them fight with the fury of angels…let them not fall in vain. Let them not become the food of the evil that lurks within the darkest reaches of an unimaginable hell… _

_Gods…ever merciful…save them._

_---------*****---------*****---------*****---------_

**::Outside Perspective::**

Bishop, the only _artificial person _in the entire crew, is seen hunched over an ocular probe doing a dissection of one of the dead facehuggers. Using an instrument that resembles a five inch long pair of tweezers, he gently lifts the inner organs back and forth, the exposed internal anatomy shimmering under the examination lights. Peering through a micro-scope like device, he remains focused and almost in awe of the dead parasite before him.

Spunkmeyer, Ferro's co-pilot, enters the room with some electronics gear on a hand truck and parks it near Bishop's work table, just behind Bishop to the left.

"Need anything else?" Spunkmeyer asks as Bishop looks up from his work for a moment. He seems to have trouble answering the question. "Hello, Bishop. Do you need anything else?"

Bishop regards the young man for a moment. "No." And goes back to the dissection.

Brow furrowed, Spunkmeyer smirks and says in a somewhat sarcastic tone, "that's a nice pet you've got there, Bishop."

Without turning to meet the young man's gaze, he continues looking over the dead facehugger, a smile dancing over his lips. "Magnificent, isn't it?"

**-Operations- **

Everyone jumps when Hudson suddenly hollers, "yo! Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen! Found'em."

Gorman peers over Hudson's shoulder. "They alive?"

"Unknown. It looks like all of them. Over at the processing station...Sub-Level 3...under the main cooling towers." Hudson explains while looking over the monitor. It becomes very apparent when everyone notices an amoeba-like cluster of flashing white dots clumped tightly in one area.

Hicks looks over the monitor, taking a drag off of his cigarette and grows a crease in his brow. "Looks like a goddamn town meeting." He says with an exhale of smoke, not quite sure he likes what he's seeing.

Gorman straightens up and gets this smug look on his face. "Let's saddle up, Apone."

"Aye, sir." Apone nods and starts barking off orders. "Alright, let's go people, they ain't payin' us by the hour. Let's go! Head'em out! Okay, Frost. Your drivin'."

**::Her Perspective::**

I can hear the commotion and feel a horrible sting in my chest. I hold my hand to the phantom wound and close my eyes, hoping it'll go away. But it doesn't, it's as though something's telling me…that's time to intervene.

"Baby…" A voice, rich and deep like a cup of strong coffee causes me to open my eyes and I find myself looking into Riddick's covered gaze. "You okay?"

I swallow, breathe in slowly and nod, rubbing the center of my chest. "Yea…" I say with a hoarse voice and clear my throat. "I just have this feeling…"

"Go tell him." He says and I feel my heart jump, the pain pulsing just beneath my chest plate. "You want a clear conscience, you go and tell Gorman. But he may not listen."

"If he doesn't listen I'll make him." I growl softly and start to feel and edge cutting into my mind… _The beast is stirring._

"Easy kitten, you want to save these people. Not have'em for lunch." Riddick muses and gets me to smile.

"Come with me?" I ask, my eyes pleading and watch him nod with a warm smile dancing on his lips. "Okay…let's go." I say, straighten up and watch his smile melt away into that dark, unreadable expression. _If they don't listen to me, maybe they'll listen to Riddick. Gods I hope Gorman listens to me._

I make my way toward Hudson and the others and meet eyes with Hicks. He notices the look on my face and walks up to me. "What's up?"

_Here goes…_

"I need to talk to Gorman, and actually…" My voice trails off as the pain thunders like a dagger shredding the delicate fibers of my heart. "It's extremely important."

He doesn't say anything. He looks to me, then to Riddick, and nods. "Follow me." Hicks replies, turns and walks up to Gorman. "Lieutenant Gorman." He says and gets his attention.

"What is it Corporal?"

"Onyx needs to have a word with you." Hicks explains and moves out the way so that I can speak to Gorman personally.

"I need to speak to you. Right now, away from everyone." My voice is calm, a sound that's commanding respect and yet oozes warning all in the same illustrious tone. _Thank the gods I had theatre all those years ago. Otherwise I'd be squeaking right about now. _"What I'm about to tell you is going to sound like lunacy, but I need you to listen very carefully."

Gorman moves to one side of the room and regards me thoughtfully, "go on Onyx."

"You can't go to the atmosphere processor." I pause for a moment and watch him about to open his mouth to speak but my voice drops an octave, silencing him. "I'm not finished." I say and watch as Gorman clenches his jaws shut. "Look, I'm not going to bullshit you. You go to find the colonists, you're going to end up in the middle of a Hive."

"Hive?" Gorman repeats the word and gives me an odd look.

I let out a soft sigh and begin to speak, my voice even softer then before so I'm not overheard by the others. "The Xenomorphs, they've gathered in a Hive. They've taken every last colonist and have used them for hosts for that parasite you saw floating in those tubes." I pause and feel questioning glances around the room as I keep my eyes locked with Gorman. "Gorman please, I'm telling the truth. You lead your squad into that Hive and you've just signed their death certificates."

I feel the slow crawl of anxiety slithering its way through my spine and have to clench my hands into fists so I don't start shaking. I'm terrified he won't believe me. _Jesus Corn-Holio fucking say something!_

"We have no idea what condition the colonists are in. Our mission is to find survivors. Alive if possible." Gorman replies and takes a deep breath. "Your point has been made, but there's no proof behind it."

"Please you're not listening. I'm not going on a hunch. I'm going by what I've seen. I'm a fucking Empath and I've seen what will happen if you take these marines to the atmosphere processor. People are going to DIE. What part of that don't you understand?"

I feel Riddick's hand gently squeeze my hip and release, telling me that I need to keep my temper and voice down.

Gorman's face is a mixture of confused emotions. "I have my orders Onyx. You can come along or stay here at the station. We are going in." Without another word he turns on the heel of his boot and walks off, leaving me here with a sense of horror welling up in my chest.

Riddick is still next to me, his hand on my waist. "You tried."

"I don't understand…why didn't he listen to me?" I say in a soft tone of disbelief and feel terror swirling through my veins.

I hear him sigh, which comes out more like a growl and feel him turn me toward him. "Don't beat yourself up. You tried. And he didn't listen. Now we go along and try to help any way we can." Riddick says in his low baritone voice and I look down, feeling as though I've failed.

"I don't understand…" I think aloud and bring my head up when I hear someone approaching us from behind. I make a sharp turn of my body and watch Ripley's eyes widen in response. "Hey Ripley…"

She calms down and her brows furrow, her expression obviously that of concern. "Is everything okay? You look like you've just seen a ghost." She asks in a tone naturally deeper then mine, but just as pleasant.

"Yea I'm okay…Gorman just proved he's an idiot." I reply and try to push the growing anxiety out of my mind.

"Why's that?" Ripley questions with concern in her tone as she tries to read my eyes.

A lump forms in the back of my throat, and for a moment, words become fleeting. "Well…I…" I stumble over my own voice and bite my bottom lip out of anger. I can feel my sharp teeth tear the sensitive flesh and then taste the salty copper of my blood as a slight sting pulses in my lip.

"Erin?" Ripley's suddenly very close to me, her energy is screaming a protective mother instinct. I almost want to break down and collapse into her arms. But I can't and try to straighten myself up before I completely fall apart. "Erin, what is it?"

I bring my gaze to hers and finally find my voice. "Something very bad is going to happen Ripley…and he didn't listen. He wouldn't listen. And now it will happen. I was supposed to stop it…I was supposed to save lives…"

Riddick cuts me off and catches Ripley's attention with a rumbling voice. "She tried to tell Gorman about future events and he of course, didn't listen. Now we just have to go along for the ride."

"You know what's going to happen?" I nod at her question and she lets out a sigh. "Gorman doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground, so it doesn't surprise me that he didn't listen." Ripley says and tries to give me a smile, one I saw her use with Newt. "Well, they're ready to head out and it wouldn't be right if you two didn't come along."

"Of course we're coming along. Can't let you have all the fun." Riddick replies and gently squeezes my hips with his hands.

_Gods…please…watch over us._

**-Acheron - Twilight-**

**::Outside Perspective::**

Within the darkness of Hadley's Hope Colony… The APC roars across the stygian landscape, desolate and alien, in a world just as unwelcoming as it moves toward the Atmosphere Station that waits like a sleeping giant just two kilometers away… Taking them deeper within into the bowels of a hell…no one has ever been able to escape from…_alive_.

**-Inside the APC-**

"It's okay. Don't worry. It'll be okay." Newt sits just aft of the driver's cockpit. Gorman's MTOB is right behind her. She sits, clutching her doll head and talking to it in a soft, cooing manner. She pauses and turns her gaze behind her. Newt sees a shadow of a large man that's just behind Ripley and Onyx, as they stand by Gorman. Her focus is then riveted to a monitor, where the atmosphere station looms within the screen like the shadow of some terrible monster.

***Just outside the Atmosphere Station***

The vast structure towers above the personnel carrier as it drives up the access ramp and stops before the door. The door to the massive building opens, sliding up into the ceiling with an ominous groan. The APC drives on into the station, speed reduced and begins dropping its huge top-mounted cannon down on its rear in the process. If it hadn't, the cannon would have bashed into the ceiling of the narrow corridor ahead.

The APC comes to a slow halt. The crew door slides open, allowing the marines to spill out before the APC, the lights of the vehicle streaming over their backs, creating a cascade of long twisting shadows as they move into the base of the station. Which suddenly appears to be a depthless maze of conduits and pressure vessels, like an oil refinery out of some dark science fiction novel.

Gorman's voice filters through the marines' headsets. "I want a straight B-Deployment. Second team on the left flank. Advance on axial six-six-four. Tracker on-line. Set the V-gain to filter RF ambient…"

Apone replies. "Hudson, tracker on-line. Left and right little buddy."

"Forty meters in, bearing two-two-one, there should be a stairwell…" Gorman concludes and continues watching through the panel of screens.

"Check! Got it!" Apone says as the group pools over to an area with a wall that says, Level One, with a set of stairs descending to the deeper levels of the atmosphere processing station.

"You want Sub-Level 3." Gorman's voice says over the com as the marines get into position.

They begin to descend into the stairwell, deeper into the dark pit of machinery. "Let's go people. Hudson, you get the point. Hicks, watch our tails. Nice and easy. Check those corners…" Apone announces while leading the pack down to sub-level three…

**-Inside the APC- **

Onyx is nervously watching the screens and can see Apone and the other soldiers from Hicks' P.O.V. as they continue descending the stairwell when Apone's voice filters over the com. "…Check those corners."

"Watch your spacing." Gorman says into his headset while watching the activity on the panel.

"Awright, you heard the man. Don't bunch up. Stay loose." Apone adds to the marines when the screens suddenly start to become fuzzy.

"Uh...your transmission's showing a lot of breakup." Gorman announces while looking to Hudson from Apone's P.O.V.

"Probably getting some interference from the structure." Hudson replies when Apone cuts in.

"Watch those lights."

Onyx looks to the computer screen, which shows the ground-plan of the station. The troopers are only a line of white dots slowly moving down the stairwell in the layout. She tries to keep her breathing normal when her growing anxiety rears its ugly head, causing her blood to run cold with fear. She closes her eyes for a moment, trying to regain her sanity as Gorman continues speaking out orders into his headset.

"Next one down. Then proceed on a two-one-six."

Apone replies, "uh...roger. That's a two-one-six."

Opening her eyes, she sees Newt looking at the all the marines on the screens. She lets her eyes fall on the panel, watching as well and sees the one thing that is the proof she needs.

The corridor the soldiers have just entered from Vasquez's P.O.V., reveals something very strange. The group stands before a bizarre sight. Over the refinery-like lattice pipes and conduits, something new and not of human design has been added. It is a structure of some sort, extending from and crudely imitating the complex of plumbing, but made of some strange encrusted substance. It seems to flow outward and up, like a mangled spider's web made from some kind of deranged bee hive.

Gorman's face shows the shocked realization at what he's viewing. "I'm not making that out too well. What is that, Hudson?"

Hudson appears on Vasquez's P.O.V.. "You tell me, man. I only work here."

Gorman tries to focus on what he's seeing as Ripley looks to Onyx, seeing a look of horror on her face. Everyone within the APC watches as the marines enter the organic labyrinth, playing their lights over the walls, revealing a bio-mechanical lattice.

"What is that?" Gorman asks in a softer voice, sweat forming over his brow and upper lip.

Ripley is at a loss. "I don't know." She replies softly when Onyx finally gets her courage back.

"I do."

Gorman, Ripley, Newt and Burke all look to her with curious eyes. Riddick remains behind her, his presence alone the only thing giving her strength.

"That's the Hive, the one I warned you about Gorman." Onyx says in a dark voice, her eyes filled with a silent knowing.

Gorman looks at Onyx and then back to the screens. Obviously shaken that she had actually told the truth. "Uh…" He covers his headset mic for a moment. "Shit…"

"It's easy Gorman, tell Apone to fall back and report back to the APC. We'll regroup and reevaluate the situation. Better safe then sorry." Riddick explains and looks to Onyx, who's eyes are hopeful that he might actually listen this time.

For a moment Gorman doesn't do or say anything…he just has this wide eyed look on his face. "Pull your team out Gorman." Ripley says finally and gets his attention.

"Oh and Gorman, they wouldn't be able to defend themselves." Onyx chimes and he whips his eyes toward her. "You do realize they're packing 10mm explosive-tip caseless, standard light-armor piercing rounds correct?"

"Yea so?" Gorman retorts, becoming more nervous.

Riddick cuts in. "You're about to send them toward the Primary heat exchangers."

The Lieutenant is starting to sweat heavily. "So?"

Ripley cuts in. "So, if they fire their weapons in there, won't they rupture the cooling system?"

"Ho, ho, ho. Yeah. They're absolutely right." Burke chimes in, actually helping.

Gorman looks like a dear about to get run over by a semi. "So? So what?"

Burke leans closer to Gorman. "Look, this whole station is basically a big fusion reactor. Right? So, we're talking about a thermonuclear explosion and adios muchachos."

Gorman's pupils actually dilate. "Oh...ah, great. Wonderful. Shhhit!" He rubs his hand over his face and then speaks into the headset. "Look...uh…Apone...look, we can't have any firing in there. I, uh, want you to collect magazines from everybody."

***Within The Hive***

The troopers look at each other in dismay. They all start arguing against the command. "Is he fucking crazy?" Hudson barks and looks to his comrades.

"What the hell are we supposed to use, man? Harsh language?" Frost chimes in disbelief as Gorman's voice filters through.

"Flame-units _only. _I want rifles slung."

Apone can't believe what he's hearing. "Sir, I…?"

"Just **do it**, Sergeant. And no grenades." Gorman concludes, his voice dropping out of the com.

Apone sighs, "Awright, sweethearts, you heard the man. Pull'em out. Come on. Let's have'em. Come on, Vasquez. Clear and lock."

**-Back on the APC-**

"Gorman tell them to fall back!" Onyx snarls but he seems to be somewhere else. The guy has no idea what he's doing.

"Shut up!" He snaps at her and goes to speak into the headset when Riddick moves Onyx to the side, gets up behind Gorman and clamps his hand around the back of his neck. Gorman's eyes widen, his mouth opens and is suddenly completely passed out.

Everyone just looks at Riddick. "He's unable to do his job properly." Riddick says in a collected manner and grabs Gorman under the shoulders, "Burke, help me move him to the back. Ripley, take over and Onyx…" He pauses while handing Onyx Gorman's headset. "Help Ripley Get them out of there."

Onyx just nods and looks to Ripley. "We can do this." Ripley says reassuringly as Onyx slips the headset on. "Go ahead."

"Apone, can you hear me?" Onyx says into the headset and watches the screens.

"Roger…uh is that you Onyx? Where's Gorman?"

She takes a deep breath and Ripley replies for her. "Apone it's Ripley. Gorman passed out, maybe it was nerves. So we're taking over."

Onyx cuts in. "Apone have you given Frost all the magazines?"

"Roger, we've just collected."

"Turn your team around and fall back to the APC." Onyx explains and starts to get a very bad feeling.

Suddenly…Hudson's motion tracker starts beeping off the charts and his voice fills the com. "Movement!"

"Apone, Hicks, everyone get your asses out of there NOW!" She barks and notices a strange mist starting to fill the screens.

Apone's voice filters through as he gives the order. "You heard the lady, fall back! Double Time!"

Onyx and Ripley stand back and watch as the screens reveal the marines running when a woman's scream bellows out in terror and one of the screens…Dietrich's, the Med-tech…spins and goes black, all bio-readings flat lining.

**-End Chapter Thirty-Eight-**


	39. Chapter 39:: Game Over Man, Game Over!

**[Onyx's Note:: **First off...for those that have been leaving me AWESOME feedback... ***TACKLE HUGS**!!* Thank you, seriously... I'm actually blushing right now *_chuckles_*. And yes, this is a TOTAL MIND SCREW of a story...but once you start, you can't stop. Which is why I'm STILL workin' on this baby lol. I started this Years ago...and it's one of my favorite places to go to. Again, thank you...to everyone who's still reading.

Okay, I know, "_Onyx, we love you...but SHUTTUP and let us read already_!" lol On that note...Enjoy!

* * *

**::Outside Perspective::  
**

***The Hive***

Dietrich, standing near a wall of the chamber, grips her flamethrower tightly. She doesn't see the nightmarish figure emerging from the wall behind her. Moving like some demonic shadow, it strikes, seizing her and taking her upward. She fires, reflexively, wildly. Her soul wrenching screams become muffled by the jet of fire flowing from her flamethrower, which also…takes hold of Frost who's standing nearby, engulfing him in a shower of flames. He falls over a railing, dropping like a lit match into the dark heart of the complex.

Hicks screams out, "FROST!!!"

Hicks and Crowe turn, horrified, to see the human torch drop his flaming satchel of pulse-rifle magazines. Hicks grabs Crowe, pulling him away from the burning ammo. "COME ON!!"

They turn and go to run when suddenly the satchel explodes with a small sonic boom. Both men are catapulted forward by the blast, sadly… Crowe strikes a pillar head-on and slumps down in a lifeless heap.

**-Inside The APC-**

Onyx and Ripley watch horrified as Crowe's monitor spins and goes black. Frost and Dietrich's have turned to static break up. Their bio-readouts have completely flat-lined.

"Fuck!" Onyx spats out angrily, enraged that things have somehow twisted and sped up. "Hicks, Apone, Anyone still alive get moving!" She feels her heart thundering wildly against her chest while a strange venom begins to swim through her blood, causing her temperature to rise.

"We have to get them out of there!" Ripley says in a heightened voice, one filled with terror.

"Ripley, can you drive this beast?" Onyx asks and Ripley's eyes fill with a realization.

"Erin stay here." Ripley rips her headset off and tosses it, running up to the front. She comes up to Newt, sitting in one of the soldiers' seats, and locks the harness down over her. "Hold on, Newt."

Ripley finally makes her way upfront and jumps into the driver's seat of the APC. Taking a deep breath, she starts slapping switches.

"Gun it Ripley!" Onyx yells, hand over the headset mic and sits down in the empty seat, her eyes going over the screens. Moving her hand away she hears Vasquez scream _Let's Rock! _And suddenly there's a thundering of gun fire filling her ears. "Apone you still out there?!"

His voice filters over the com, "hold you fire god damn it!" She hears him say when suddenly his screen does the same as the others that were taken… She hears him wail out in agony at the last second. "Apone?? APONE!!" She screams into the headset, knowing…that he's gone.

Meanwhile the APC jerks as Ripley comes to a descending rampway and slams the left and right drive-wheel actuators viciously, spinning the machine in a roaring pivot. The APC hits the corridor's wall sideways and then keeps on moving.

***The Marines***

Hicks, supporting a limping Hudson, appears from a smoky corridor. Drake and Vasquez bring up the rear, taking out the closing creatures with accuracy.

"Come on!" Hicks barks back to the two smart gunners.

"Come on, Drake!" Vasquez shouts as they continue to fire round after flesh tearing round into the aliens that seem to swarm out of the walls.

* * * *

The APC roars down into the mist filled structure and emerges from a cloud of smoke that covers the corridor. As the smoke from the cloud clears, Ripley looks out and sees a wall of alien-encrustation directly in path of the vehicle. She feels someone close to her and looks over quickly to see that it's Riddick, sitting in the co-pilot seat.

"Gun it!" He says in a booming voice as they brace for impact.

It smashes through the wall, showering debris everywhere. Another wall is broken as the APC continues to move forward into the chamber beyond. As the vehicle comes to a halt, alien debris is scattered all around the mechanical beast.

* * * *

Drake and Vasquez are opening up on the Aliens. They seem to appear from every nook and cranny in the chamber.

Hicks, still dragging Hudson at his side, calls out again. "Come on! Let's move it!"

Vasquez calls out to Drake. "Come on! Let's go! Let's go!"

Hicks and Hudson appear in front of the APC. The debris around the tank of a vehicle blocks their way for a straight-away shot to the crew-door.

"It's blocked, man! We've gotta go around!" Hudson calls out in horror as the swarm of Aliens continue pooling out of the Hive.

Ripley sees Hicks and Hudson out of the APC's front windows, Riddick still next to her. "Open the door!" She says and Riddick is already gone, opening the door. She brings a mic to her mouth. "Hicks!"

Hicks cranes his neck, "Drake! We are leaving!" and continues moving toward the open door.

"Give some, Vas! Run for it! Shit!" Drake goes empty, slaps the buckles, cutting loose his smart-gun harness, and unslings a flamethrower he has picked up.

Hicks carries Hudson inside quickly, dropping him down on some ammo boxes. "Let's go! Let's go!"

Vasquez, once again, is calling out to her friend. "Drake, come on, man! We're going!" Hicks pulls Vasquez inside, massive gear and all. Drake is right behind her, illuminating the chamber with his flamethrower in waves of blistering heat.

Before anything else happens Onyx pushes passed everyone, snatching a fire extinguisher from the wall on her way out

"Drake, come on!" Vasquez yells and stops. "Hey, what hell are you doing!" She yells as Onyx moves to Drake's side and focuses on something in the darkness.

"Drake Get Inside!" Onyx roars and suddenly a dark shape rises in front of her. She knows she only has seconds before Vasquez reacts and shoots the alien. Which would Kill both her and Drake because of its acid for blood.

"Vasquez hold your fire!" She screams and swings the fire extinguisher like a baseball bat right into the alien's face. It hits home, causing the alien to squeal out in pain, giving her just enough time to grab Drake and push him inside. "Move god damn it!" Onyx screams and using her powerful legs, shoves over two hundred pounds of muscle into the APC.

Once inside, Onyx snatches Vasquez's gun and aims for the alien. "Everyone back up!" She takes a deep breath and squeezes the trigger, unloading 10 bursts, hitting the target perfectly. The flashes light up the inhuman grin, blowing open the Alien's body. An eruption of bright yellow acid spews out as the alien falls to the ground in a pile of body parts.

**::Her Perspective::**

"Onyx back up, Drake help me with door!" Hicks gets the door half way closed when, suddenly, claws appear at the edge. The door is being slowly wrenched open from the outside. "Get on the goddamn door!" He shouts as Vasquez and Hudson move up to help.

Seeing the alien's grinning face causes me to instantly react. I reach down and grab Hicks' twelve-gauge lying on the floor. "Hicks here!" I call out and hand it to him.

He takes it from me and I find myself staring into the face of the alien. It seems to be staring right back as its lips begin to quiver and pull back, its mouth opening ready to strike out with its inner set of jaws. I'm completely paralyzed when Hicks jams the barrel of his shotgun between it's jaws. "Eat this!"

The alien lets out a menacing hiss but is silenced when Hicks pulls the trigger. I jump back quickly as the back of the alien's head explodes._ The very sound reminds me of a watermelon splattering against the concrete from forty stories up_. Its blood follows the bursting of its long, curved skull, showering over everything in a rain of concentrated acid. The spray eats into the door, the deck, and some hits Hudson on the arm. He yells out in pain as smoke rises from the inflicted wound and stumbles back. Hicks, Drake and Vasquez finally slide the doors closed, locking it in place.

"Ripley! Go, go, go!" Hicks calls out and I back up, completely stunned.

I feel as though my mind has gone inside out. My hands won't stop shaking and my heart is beating wildly within my chest. I blink a few times and notice Drake standing over next to Vasquez. They both are giving me looks of gratitude. I can't move, all I can do is stand here looking at the floor, completely immersed in disbelief at the way I reacted.

I feel someone tug at me. I look down and realize my hands are still gripped tightly on the gun. "Here." It's Vasquez, gently pulling the gun from my hands. I let the weapon slip away from my grasp and back up until I can't back up anymore.

_What's happening to me?_

**::Outside Perspective::**

The armored vehicle roars backward. Pulling out of the wreckage around and behind it. Ripley works the shifters. The APC squeals forward, up the access ramp it had come down earlier. Everyone inside grabs for hand-holds as they are thrown around like goldfish in an earthquake. The shock of the sudden forward acceleration tears loose a storage rack, sending some heavy ammo cases down on Gorman, who has just awoken only to find himself being knocked unconscious again.

Ripley jams the actuators hard, turning the APC quickly to the right into the main access corridor. She hears a thud over her head. As she looks out the small windshield, an alien arm suddenly smashes through the glass and reaches down, right in front of her face. Glistening, hideous jaws lunge partially inside. Ripley recoils in fear. Face to face once again with the same mind-numbing horror. She reacts instinctively by slamming on both sets of brakes with all of her strength. The huge wheels lock, causing the alien to flip off, landing in the headlights. Ripley doesn't hesitate and hits full throttle. The APC roars forward, crushing the skeletal body under the right massive wheel like smashing a giant cockroach with a steamroller.

The machine powers ahead and goes smashing through the Atmosphere Station's Main Access Door, thundering out into the open landscape and away from the station. A sound like bolts dropping in a meat grinder is coming from the APC's rear end.

Riddick leaves the front to check on Onyx, passing Hicks as the corporal goes to Ripley and eases her hands back on the throttle lever. Her knuckles showing a bone white. "It's alright...we're clear! Ripley, you've blown the transaxle! You're just grinding metal! Come on, ease down! Ease down!" Hicks yells over the sound of air rushing into the broken window. "Ease down. Ease down."

Once the APC groans to a stop Ripley, still running on the adrenaline, spins out of her seat and into the aisle, looking around. She immediately spots Newt, who's wedged herself into a tiny space between the driver's seat and a bulkhead. Newt is coughing, and looks scared, but it is nowhere near the basket case catatonia of before. Kneeling down, she looks her over. "You ok?" Newt nods and gives a thumbs up.

"You ok Ripley?" Riddick asks and meets her widened gaze.

"I was about to ask you the same thing." Ripley replies and looks passed him to the others.

Riddick does the same as she walks passed him to check on everyone. He follows suit as Hudson holds his arm, staring in stunned dismay at nothing, obviously playing it all back in his mind. Burke tries to have a look at his arm. Hudson jerks away with a hiss. "Get away from me, man!"

"Lieutenant?" Hicks says as Ripley joins him. He's bent over an unconscious Gorman, checking for a pulse. Gorman has a nasty gash on his forehead.

"What happened to Gorman?" Ripley asks and looks to Hicks.

"I don't know. Maybe a concussion." Hicks explains and gently sets Gorman's head back down after looking it over. "But, he's alive."

"No man, he's dead!" Vasquez growls pushing passed them and grabs Gorman by the collar, hauling him up roughly, ready to crack him in the skull with her elbow. "Wake up, Pendejo! Man I'm gonna' kill you!"

Hicks puts his arm in the way, right before Vasquez hits Gorman in the face. "Back off!" He snarls and lowers his voice. "Right now!"

She glares at Hicks and releases Gorman, jumps up and moves off to another spot as Hicks exclaims, "Someone get me a first aid kit."

Riddick finds Drake standing next to Onyx, who seems to be in shock. "She isn't responding." Drake explains to Riddick and backs off to allow him access to her.

Her eyes are wide but she appears to be somewhere else. "Onyx, baby talk to me." Riddick says softly and takes her shoulders in his hands. "Onyx…" She doesn't respond, only blinks. "Come on baby, come back to me." Riddick doesn't want her to go catatonic. He bites his bottom lip and comes to a conclusion. One he would never do, under any other circumstances. With a sharp intake of air he brings his hand up and slaps her hard across the face.

"What the hell are you doing!" Ripley yells and comes charging toward him when Onyx starts blinking, her mind coming back.

"Wait." Drake says and grabs Ripley's arm, stopping her.

Onyx blinks a few more times and creases her brow as the pain begins to register. She brings her right hand up to her face and then looks up at Riddick. Without warning her hand lashes out and strikes Riddick hard across the face with an echoing slap. "Asshole!" She barks at him as he brings his eyes back to hers. "That fucking hurt!"

Riddick rubs his jaw, "no shit." He's not mad at her for retaliating, in fact…he's glad. Better to have the sting of her hand on his face then have her not respond at all.

"Hey...hey, look! The sarge and Dietrich aren't dead, man. Their signs are real low, but they ain't dead." They turn to see Hudson at the MTOB monitors, looking at the bio-function screens.

"Well, we go back in there and get them." Vasquez says, already pumped up for more alien carnage.

Hudson disagrees, his voice becoming high-pitched. "Fuck that!"

Vasquez ignores him. "We don't leave our people behind. Besides…"

Hudson cuts her off. "I ain't going back in there, man! You can't make me!" His face as pale as a ghost.

Onyx gets herself back together and lets out a commanding voice. "You can't help them...you can't. Right now, they're being cocooned just like the others."

Hudson, of course, is completely losing it. "Oh, dear lord, Jesus. This ain't happening, man. This can't be happening, man. This ain't happening!"

"Alright." Vasquez begins to say, her body tense and wired. "We got seven canisters of CN-20. I say we roll them in there and nerve gas the whole fucking nest."

Hick's looks at Vasquez thoughtfully. "That's worth a try. But, we don't even know if it's gonna' affect them."

Again, Hudson adds his commentary. "Look, let's just bug out and call it _even, _okay? What are we talking about this for?"

"I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit." Ripley says and looks to Hicks as everyone looks over at her. "It's the only way to be _sure_."

"Fuck'n A!" Hudson replies quickly, liking the idea.

Burke's eyes widen. "Whoa! Ho, ho, hold on one second. This installation has a substantial dollar value attached to it…"

Ripley cuts him off, her voice holding disbelief that this asshole is even thinking about the dollar value. "They can bill me."

Burke won't let up. "Okay...look. This is an emotional moment for all of us, okay? I know that. But, let's not make snap judgments, please. This is clearly..._clearly_, an important species we're dealing with and I don't think that you or I or anybody has the right to arbitrarily exterminate them…"

Ripley just looks at him. "Wrong."

Vasquez tilts her head up in defiance. "Yeah. Watch us."

"Hey, maybe you haven't been keeping up on current events, but we just got our asses kicked, pal!" Hudson exclaims as steam continues to rise from the wound on his arm.

"Look, I'm not blind to what's going on. But, I can't authorize that kind of action." Burke pauses and softens his voice, shaking his head. "I'm sorry."

Ripley narrows her eyes at Burke and then looks to Hicks. "Well, I believe Corporal Hicks...has authority here."

Burke raises a brow. "_Corporal_ Hicks?"

"This operation is under military jurisdiction and Hicks is next in chain of command. Am I right, Corporal?" Ripley asks and Hicks nods, almost sad as he thinks of Apone for a moment.

"Yeah...yeah, that's right"

Burke starts to loose it and it's not a pretty sight. "Yeah. Look, Ripley?"

She looks at him. "Yes?"

"This is a multi-million dollar installation, okay? He can't make that kind of decision. He's just a _grunt!_" Burke pauses to glance at Hicks. "No offense."

Hicks looks Burke up and down. "None taken." And then proceeds to talk into his headset. "Ferro, do you copy?"

Ferro replies, her voice covered in static. "Standing by."

"Prep for dust-off. We're gonna' need an immediate evac." Hicks explains and everyone can hear Ferro's response.

"Roger. On our way."

Hicks looks to everyone. "I say we take off and nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure." He says with his eyes locked with Ripley's and she gives a slight smile. "Let's do it." Hicks exclaims as everyone gets ready to go outside.

The group files out of the personnel carrier, which is clearly no-longer able to be of any help. Hicks and Drake have Gorman between them on a stretcher. The others follow behind. "Let's go! Pick it up, Drake. Pick it up, baby. Alright! We'll set him down here." Hicks announces, lights a flare and throws it to an area visible from the air.

* * * *

**-Drop Ship-**

Ferro sits in the cockpit, preparing for lift-off. She calls to Spunkmeyer over her headset. "Move it, Spunkmeyer. We're rollin'."

Spunkmeyer runs up the cargo ramp into the ship. As he hauls himself up into the drop-ship's hold, he goes to hit the button to close the ramp when he notices that his hand is in some sticky, slime like substance that shouldn't be there. He looks all around the hold, but doesn't notice anything unusual. "Hold on a second. There's something…"

Ferro cuts him off over the com. "Just get up here!"

He sighs and watches the ramp rise up. "I'm in. Ramp closing."

* * * *

The ship rises through the spray thrown up by the down blast of the VTOL jets, hovering above the complex like a huge insect. It's searchlights blazing.

* * * *

"Spunkmeyer?" Ferro taps into her headset. "Goddamnit."

The compartment door behind her slides slowly open. Ferro hears this and goes to speak, turning her head. "Well, where the fuck…"

An alien stands before her, it's drooling jaws opening with a hiss. Ferro quickly goes for her sidearm. But, the alien lunges forward. A whirl of motion takes places, Ferro claws at the bloody window as the life slips from her. The throttle levers are slammed forward as her lifeless form slumps in the pilots seat…

* * * *

**-Near the APC-**

They watch in dismay as the approaching ship drops and veers wildly. It's main engines roar full on and the craft accelerates toward them even as it looses altitude. It skims the ground, hitting a ridge. Tumbles, bursting into flames, breaking up. It flips up into the air, end over end. Becoming a cart wheeling juggernaut of metal and fire.

Ripley's face is a portrait of terror. "RUN!!" She screams, grabs Newt and sprints for cover as the tumbling ship rolls by, skipping off the ground like a stone, engulfed in flames. It roars passed the survivors and crashes into the station. The fireball explodes, throwing flaming pieces of the craft in all directions.

The remainder of the ground team watch their hopes of getting off the planet, and most of their superior fire power, reduced to flaming debris. Hicks gets up and looks around. He sees one of the smoking debris lying on top of the unconscious Gorman and quickly yanks it off him.

Hudson picks up another piece of the wreckage as he gets up and becomes hysterical. "Well, that's _great! _That's just fucking great, man! Now what the fuck are we supposed to do?! We're in some real pretty shit now, man!"

Hicks grabs Hudson by his chest armor, getting his attention. "You finished?" He stops and turns to see Ripley and Newt being joined by Onyx and Riddick. "You guys alright?"

Onyx and Ripley nod, unable to disguise their stricken expressions when they look to each-other and then at Newt, but the little girl seems relatively calm. "I guess we're not going to be leaving, now. Right?"

Newt asks softly as Ripley catches Onyx's gaze and then looks back to Newt. "I'm sorry, Newt."

"You don't have to be sorry. It wasn't your fault." Newt replies when Hudson is going off behind them, kicking rocks and waving his hands hysterically.

"That's it, man! Game over, man! Game over! What the fuck are we gonna' do now?! What we going to do?!" His slight southern drawl becomes more apparent as his voice reaches a higher pitch.

Burke tries to calm him down. "Maybe we could build a fire and sing a couple of songs, huh? Why don't we try that?"

Riddick stands close to Onyx, holding her hand protectively in his as her body starts to shake with fear. "We should get back…" She pauses and looks to Newt, who's directly to her right.

Newt nods and confirms it. "'Cause it'll be dark soon and _they_ mostly come at night. Mostly."

Ripley, Newt, Onyx and Riddick all cast their gaze forward to the AP station looming in the twilight, as the burning drop-ship wreckage crackles and illuminates everything with an angry red. As though it's an Omen from the very gods themselves…of what lies ahead…

Waiting somewhere within the darkness.

**-End Chapter Thirty-Nine-**


	40. Chapter 40:: Monsters

**[Onyx's Note:: **More twists and turns comin' your way :D**]  
**

* * *

**::Outside Perspective::**

An unrelenting wind howls mournfully around the buildings of metal and reinforced steel. The air is angry, whipping violently against the structure with icy tendrils, as if warning all that may still be alive…of the danger that awaits them…lurking somewhere deep within the colony.

A mechanical whine rumbles through the building as the storm windows open to view the alien landscape of LV-426. Desolate and baron, a land where unnatural things slip in and out of the darkness, devouring any hope of light…saturating the planet with an unearthly veil of deadly secrets.

The weary and demoralized group are gathered to take stock of their grim options. Vasquez and Hudson bring in a box of equipment and place it on a table, where the survivors all stand, ready to discuss their fleeting options.

Hicks looks to Hudson, "that's everything, right?"

Hudson nods. "Yeah."

Hicks begins to go over all the equipment on the table. "All right! This is absolutely everything that we could salvage out of the APC wreckage. We've got four pulse-rifles, with about fifty rounds each. That ain't so good. You got...uh, fifteen of these M-40 grenades." He explains and sets the grenade down on the table. Newt, being her inquisitive self, reaches over to pick it up. Hicks stops her. "Don't touch that. Dangerous, honey."

"Is that the only flame thrower?" Ripley asks as Onyx looks over to Hudson, who appears to be very nervous and high strung.

"Yeah. It's only half full, but it's functional…" Hicks replies as Newt picks up one of the soldiers' helmet's and puts it on. Her head disappears into it causing Riddick to stifle a chuckle. "...and another one's damaged. I don't know about that one. But, the good news. We've got four of these robot sentries...with display and scanners intact. They really kickass. I think they'll come in handy." Hicks concludes and meets eyes with Onyx for a moment. He studies her face and breaks eye contact as Ripley's voice catches his full attention.

"How long after we're declared overdue can we expect a rescue?" She asks, knowing full well that she won't like the answer.

Hicks looks to Vasquez. She gazes back with a look of loss, and yet, there's a hint of an underlying strength as she holds her weapon. "Seventeen days."

Onyx backs up a step knowing that Hudson is about to lose it…again.

"Seventeen days? Hey, man...I don't want to rain on your parade. But, we're not going to last seventeen _hours_! Those things are going to come in here, just like they did before, and they're going to come in here…"

Ripley tries to stop his hysterics. "Hudson!"

But he keeps going, his voice becoming higher pitched with every word flowing from his lips. "...and they're going to come in here and there going to get us!"

Onyx barks his name the exact moment Ripley does, their commanding voices molding in powerful unison. "HUDSON!"

Hudson blinks a few times as Ripley leans forward. "This little girl survived longer than that with no weapons and no training." She gazes down at Newt, still wearing the helmet. "Right?" Newt nods and looks up to Hudson under the helmet and salutes him.

"Why don't you put her in charge!" Hudson barks, still on the brink of a total nervous breakdown.

Ripley won't have it and shuts him down hard. "You better just start dealing with it, Hudson. Hudson, just deal with it, because we need you and I'm sick of your bullshit. Now, I want you to get on a terminal and call up some kind of floor plan file, do you understand?"

Hudson swallows and nods. "Yeah."

"Construction blueprints, I don't care, anything that shows the layout of this place, are you listening?" Ripley inquires and Hudson, slowly pulling himself back together, gives her a firmer _Yeah_ in response. "I need to see air ducts. I need to see electrical access tunnels, sub-basements. Every possible way into this complex." Ripley pauses, her eyes showing a soft flicker of emotion as her voice softens. "We don't have much time."

Hudson gathers himself, thankful for the direction. "Okay," he straightens himself up, nodding. "...okay, I'm on it."

Ripley gets his attention before he walks off. "Hudson! Just relax."

He nods and exhales loudly to prepare himself and leaves the group.

Bishop moves up to the table. "I'll be in Med-Lab. Check on Gorman, continue my analysis."

Onyx senses the tension between Ripley and Bishop as Ripley replies, not really looking at him. "Fine. You do that." Ripley says and watches him closely as he leaves, an aura of fearful suspicion rippling through the whites of her eyes.

"Hicks you want to put up those sentries, right?" Riddick asks, looking to Hicks.

He nods, his brows furrowed. "Yea, that's the plan."

"We're going to go over every outlet of this place. But there's something you're going to miss." Riddick explains and motions for everyone to follow him out of the room. They do, all curious as to what he's getting at when he stands next to a horizontal video screen. The group stands around it as Ripley stands to the left of Riddick, Onyx to his right, Hicks on Ripley's left and everyone else finds a spot to look over the screen, leaving little Newt bouncing around trying to see what they're seeing.

Riddick points to a specific spot on the screen and looks to Ripley. "You would have pointed out that this service tunnel must be how they're moving back and forth. Correct?"

Ripley's eyes widen a bit. "Yes actually."

Riddick nods and then turns his goggle covered gaze to Hicks. "And of course you would have replied something along the lines that she's right. That it moves from the processing station right into the sub-level here." He pauses and motions for Onyx to take the control. "Onyx I want you to demonstrate. Now, come down on that. Okay, come over. Hold it. Go back. Punch that in right there." He says all of this as Onyx manages to move the image on the screen just as instructed.

Riddick touches a spot on the screen as Newt moves up next to Hicks. He picks her up and seats her on the corner of the table and watches closely as the blueprint is moved around. "Do you see where I'm going with this?"

Ripley nods as Hicks focuses on the blueprints.

"Yes I do…But wait." Hicks says and remembers something. "No. It's back."

Riddick looks to Ripley, "by all means." He says, allowing her to take the lead next to Onyx.

"Well," Ripley begins and looks down at the blueprints, "there's a pressure door at this end. Couldn't we put a remote sentry unit in the tunnel and then seal that door?"

"Yeah. That'll work. But, we gotta figure on them getting into the complex." Hicks replies, now immersed in the plan that's unraveling before him.

Ripley nods and continues, "that's right. So, we repair the barricades at these intersections…" She points to certain areas on the screen.

Hicks nods in understanding. "Right."

"...and weld plate-steel over these ducts here and here and...here. That way, they can only come at us from these two corridors." Ripley explains as Riddick and Onyx remain watching the interaction in silence.

Hicks, thinking aloud. "Alright, then we put the other sentry units here and here. Right?"

"Right." Ripley replies as Hicks contemplates her game plan and looks over at her.

"Outstanding." He gives her a smile and straightens up. "Now, all we need is a deck of cards."

"Wait…" Ripley interjects and looks to Riddick. "What are we missing?"

"You've covered the basics well, but the one thing you seem to forget is the ceiling." Riddick explains in his deep, growling voice and motions to the ceiling above them. "It's all open up there and these bad boys are wall climbers. Once they run out of options, they'll head above us and try to catch us off guard."

"Shit…" Hicks sighs and grows a thoughtful look. "So let's not give them the option. We'll have an escape route. Onyx, you want to add anything that might help us here?" Hicks says and looks to Onyx who's biting her bottom lip nervously.

"Onyx?" Riddick chimes but her eyes are clouded and she seems to be somewhere else.

Ripley gently grips Onyx's shoulder. "Erin."

Onyx blinks and looks up into Ripley's eyes, fear evident in her face. "Sorry… I blanked out for a minute."

"We're going to need everyone, especially you, alert at all times." Ripley says gently and gives her shoulder a squeeze of reassurance. "We don't have much time, okay?"

"Hey, if you can bitch slap an Alien with a fire extinguisher to save my white ass, then you're already a soldier in my book." Drake announces trying to lighten the mood and gets a few chuckles in response. " And hey, where'd you learn how to shoot a gun like that?"

"Uhm…" Onyx feels like she's under a spot light, Drake's random commentary throwing her a mental curve-ball. "That was the first time I've ever used one."

"Seriously?" Vasquez says, brows raised.

"Seriously." Onyx repeats and watches Vasquez and Drake share an impressed _Holy Shit _look. "I wasn't thinking. It's almost like something told me to react, so I reacted. That's probably why I freaked after it happened."

Riddick wears a smirk that's just oozing with pride as he pats her gently on the back. "It came naturally to you, instinctive you could say. That's a gift many people don't possess. Don't be afraid of it, embrace it."

Onyx looks up into his covered gaze and gives a quiet smile in response to his compliment. "It was extremely empowering and terrifying all at once. To have that kind of power almost felt…"

Hicks cuts in, "…like you were immortal."

"Exactly." Onyx replies with a nod. "I don't know if I could ever shoot a living human being, unless my life or someone else's was a stake… But…" She trails off and grows a devious grin. "When it comes to our situation, I'm all for exploding a few Alien heads."

"Damn baby…I love it when you talk dirty." Riddick chimes with a cheesy grin on his face and everyone lets out a chorus of laughter, a sound filled with a quiet joy that they won't be hearing after the events that will follow…

Chuckling, Hicks straightens up and announces. "All right, people, let's move like we've got a purpose."

Hudson nods, "aye-firmative."

Newt repeats the saying softly. "Aye-firmative."

**-Operations -Tactical-**

Riddick stands close to Hicks and gazes over a few monitor screens that show Vasquez and Hudson setting up two of the sentry guns in the service tunnel. He observes in silence as Hicks begins setting up the Keyboard Displays for the four sentry units. They resemble old fashioned lap top computers with their flat black coloring and black screens with yellow letters and numbers. Hicks opens them and types in some commands. As Hicks types, the screen's commands are highlighted. He sets the units to SEARCH and AUTO.

**-Service Tunnel - Sub-Level-**

A long straight service tunnel, lined with conduits, seems to go on into eternity. Vasquez and Hudson have finished setting up two of the robot sentry guns on tripods on either side of the doorway inside of the tunnel.

"Do your thing, baby. Come on, come on, Vasquez. Let's get the hell out of here." Hudson says and then speaks into his headset. "Hudson here. A and B sentries are in place and keyed."

Hicks' voice comes over the com. "Right."

**-Back in Operations-**

"Stand-by. Arming now." Hicks says into his headset and sets the units to ARMED. "Test it, Hudson."

**-Service Level - Sub-Level-**

Hudson turns to Vasquez, "do it!"

"Fire in the hold!" Vasquez calls out and hurls a wastebasket down the tunnel, into the automatic field of fire. The sentry guns swivel smoothly, the wastebasket bounces once...and is riddled by two quick bursts of metallic fire.

"Okay! Let's get the hell out of here!" Hudson exclaims as they retreat behind a heavy steel Fire Door, which they slide down closed on it's tracks. "We're sealing the tunnel." He explains into his headset as Vasquez helps him weld the door shut. "Come on, baby."

**-Second Level Corridor-**

Burke and Newt are moving back and forth with cartons of MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat) on a hand truck and in their arms, stacking everything inside the operations center. Behind them, Hicks and Ripley are covering an air duct opening with a metal plate, welding it in place, showering sparks in the semi-dark corridor.

Hicks sets down his welder and hits the plate. "For what it's worth." He pauses and removes what looks like a wristwatch from his arm and offers it to Ripley. It is a standard issue Locating Beeper. "Here, I want you to put this on."

Ripley looks at it inquisitively, "what's it for?"

"It's a locator. Then I can find you anywhere in the complex on this…" He explains and shows her a small black cylinder, about four inches long and about half an inch thick around, with numbers flashing on a small screen, which happens to be a tiny Locator hooked to his battle harness. "It's just a precaution."

Ripley pauses for a moment, regarding him with an inquisitive brow. "Thanks."

Hicks looks back to what he was doing and chimes, "doesn't mean we're engaged or anything." Ripley chuckles softly at the comment as he adds, "now, what's next?" He says as she consults a printout of the floor plans.

* * * * *

The howling wind has faded into an eerie, almost ghostly stillness, while a billowing mist has rolled in to shroud the complex in blanket of milky condensation. Everything appears as though it's underwater. There is no signs of life, no sounds of animals…no movement. _Not a god damned thing_. It's almost as though the entire planet is just one massive grave of the forsaken, waiting for the precise moment to open its hellish jaws only to devour any and all who would strive to live through the night…

And meanwhile…within one of the barricaded corridors, sentry guns 'C' and 'D' sit waiting, swiveling on their tripods, their 'ARMED' lights flashing green. Waiting in their electronic silence for any movement. For any excuse to unload a wave of burning metal into any targets brave enough to challenge them.

* * * * *

Onyx watches as Newt, for the third time in five minutes, lets out an exhausted yawn. _Poor thing probably hasn't slept since all of this shit happened… To be alone, so young…to see the things she's seen. Completely alone, torn away from everything she's ever loved and ever known… _She thinks inwardly and feels that boiling sensation pulsing just behind her ribcage. A silent trickling of rage that's slowly, carefully, bleeding its way into her system. Taking over every fiber, every intricate line of her inner workings. Taking its time as it invades her soul, waiting for that bittersweet moment of triumph…when it finally takes over and unleashes a fury that the gods themselves would turn their ever watchful eyes away from.

Ripley notices Onyx watching Newt attentively, reminding her of a mother Hawk keeping a keen eye over her chicks. She lets a small smile dance across her lips as she walks up to the young woman, holding a cup off coffee. "You look like you could use this." She says and catches her attention.

Onyx turns her attention to Ripley and takes the cup filled with rich smelling coffee gratefully. "You read my mind." She replies thankfully and takes a sip. The sheer taste of the strong coffee; the rich aroma filling her senses as the heat warms the cold sting hiding somewhere deep within her stomach.

"She looks like she's about to pass out." Ripley states thoughtfully while gazing at Newt.

Onyx swallows another wonderful mouthful of the coffee and nods. "I doubt she's slept at all for quite some time. You should probably convince her to take a nap."

Ripley looks to Onyx and smiles. "I was just thinkin' that." She replies, takes a deep breath and lets it out quickly. "I'm going to do that. If Hick's asks just tell him I'm in the Med-Lab."

"Sure thing Ripley." Onyx replies and takes another drink, already starting to feel better. The coffee being a small comfort in a world so alien to everything she's ever known…

"Thanks Erin." Ripley smiles appreciatively and walks over to Newt and kneels down in front of the obviously exhausted little girl. "Come on honey, you need to take a nap." Ripley says softly and Newt gives her a look.

"I'm not…" Newt's voice breaks as she yawns for the fourth time in a row. "…tired."

Ripley chuckles, "I can see that. Now, no arguing." She says in a soft, comforting tone with a warm smile and takes the reluctant Newt into her arms, rises back to a standing position and walks off to the Med-Lab.

Ripley carries an exhausted Newt through the inner connecting rooms of the medical wing. She reaches an Operating Room, which is small but very high-tech...vault-like metal walls, strange equipment. A cot has been set up, displacing O.R. equipment, which is pushed into one corner.

Newt is resting her head on Ripley's shoulder, barely awake...nearly drained off all energy. "Last stop." Ripley announces softly and sets her down on the cot's edge. "Get in." Newt scoots under the covers.

Ripley sits beside her. "Scoot down. That's good." She says and brings the covers up to Newt's chest and then rests her hand there. "Now, you lie here and have a nap. You're very tired." She explains and smoothes down the covers.

Newt looks up into Ripley's eyes with a silent emotion of fear. "I don't want to...I have scary dreams."

This obviously strikes a chord with Ripley, but she feigns cheerfulness. "Well, I bet Casey doesn't have bad dreams. Let's take a look." She lifts the doll's head from Newt's tiny fingers and looks inside. It's obviously empty, but Ripley is trying to show Newt in a small way, that everything will be fine. "Nope. Nothing bad in there." She says while eyeing the inside of Casey's head and then shows Newt. "See? Maybe you could just try to be like her."

Newt rolls her eyes as if to say _don't pull that six-year-old shit on me, lady. I'm seven. _"Ripley...she doesn't have bad dreams because she's just a piece of plastic." She states in a very matter-of-fact tone, her expression solemn and thoughtful.

Ripley gazes at Newt with a higher respect; as if a Thirty year old woman is hiding just within Newt's young body. "Right. I'm sorry, Newt." She says with a chuckle and then turns her attention to her right and turns, reaching for a portable space heater sitting nearby, and slides it closer to the bed. She switches it on and begins to hum and slowly emits a cozy orange glow. "There." Ripley states as the heater is glowing brightly, covering them in a sunset like glow.

"My mommy always said there were no monsters. No real ones. But, there _are_."

Ripley's expression becomes sober at the eerie statement. She brushes a few damp strands of hair away from the Newt's pale forehead. "Yes, there are, aren't there."

Newt's brow furrows, "why do they tell little kids that?" She asks softly, her tiny voice revealing the deep sense of betrayal lingering within her question.

"Most of the time, it's true."

"Did one of those things grow inside her?" Newt asks while biting her bottom lip.

Ripley regards her with a sorrowful and yet, thoughtful look. "I don't know, Newt. That's the truth." She explains, her voice softer.

Newt continues with her questions. "Isn't that how babies come? I mean, people babies..._they_ grow inside you?"

"No, it's very different." Ripley replies, thankful for Newt's sudden need to be more vocal.

"Did _you_ ever have a baby?"

Ripley feels a slight sting of pain but doesn't show it as she replies pleasantly. "Yes, I did. I had a little girl."

Newt's eyes widen a bit. "Where is she?"

"She's gone." Ripley says softly, outwardly appearing calm except for the small twitch in her jaws.

"You mean dead." Newt states rather then in a question and feels more of a connection to Ripley then before.

Ripley stops, thinks for a moment and then unsnaps the tracer bracelet, given to her by Hicks, and puts it on Newt's tiny wrist, "here, take this...for luck." She says while connecting the Velcro on the strap so it doesn't come off easily. Ripley gives newt a smile and switches off the light by the bed that's sitting over Newt's head and starts to rise.

Newt grabs her arm. A desperate voice in the dark. "Don't go! Please."

Ripley pauses from standing. "Newt. I'll be right in the next room. And, see that camera right up there?" She motions to the video security camera above the door. Its swivels back and forth on its mount as it scans the room. "I can see you right through that camera, all the time, to see if you're safe." She explains and meets Newt's gaze. "I'm not going to leave you, Newt. I mean it. That's a promise."

"You promise?" Newt repeats with a slight sliver of fear dancing within her soft tone.

"I cross my heart."

"And hope to die?" Newt says and Ripley flinches slightly at the innocently grim expression.

"And hope to die." Newt hears Ripley's reply, flies up from the bed and grabs her in a desperate hug. Ripley returns it slowly, a bit overwhelmed at first, then with fierce emotion. Newt's need is so vast, Ripley prays she has made a promise she can keep. With a kiss on the cheek, Newt let's go and lays back down. "Now go to sleep...and don't dream."

Newt points at Ripley's shirt. Ripley looks down and Newt playfully flicks Ripley's nose. She laughs. "Sneak." She says and looks down at Newt lovingly before exiting the room.

Newt turns on her side, gazing at the bracelet in the orange glow of the heater.

* * * * *

Ripley stands over Lieutenant Gorman, lying motionless on a gurney, his head bandaged. Onyx stands to her right, and Bishop is behind Ripley. Hudson and Vasquez are nearby, their weapons cradled.

While Hicks, Riddick and Drake are still together viewing the Sentry computers.

"The molecular acid oxidizes after the creature stops, completely neutralizing it." Bishop explains hoping that the information may prove useful in the long run.

"Bishop...you know that's very interesting. But, that doesn't really get us anywhere, does it?" Ripley states in a flat tone while smoking a cigarette. "We're trying to figure out what we're dealing with here. Let's go through it again. They grabbed the colonists, they move them over there, and immobilized them to be hosts for more of these…" She motions with the hand holding the cigarette toward the stasis cylinders containing the facehugger specimens. "Which would mean there would have to be a lot of these parasites, right? One for each colonist...that's over a hundred at least."

Bishop nods, listening attentively. "Yes. That follows."

"Each one of these things comes from an egg, right? So…" Ripley pauses, "who's laying these eggs?"

"I'm not sure." Bishop admits while crossing his arms thoughtfully. "It must be something we haven't seen yet."

"Hey, maybe it's like an ant hive." Hudson interrupts thoughtfully, clearly thinking rationally for once.

Vasquez rolls her eyes at Hudson. "Bees, man. Bees have hives."

He looks to Vasquez. "You know what I mean." He pauses and looks to Ripley and Onyx. "There's like...one female that runs the whole show."

Bishop nods, "yes, the Queen."

"Yeah, the momma." Hudson replies at the realization and motions with his hands. "She's badass, man. I mean, big!"

"These things ain't ants, Pendejo." Vasquez chimes at Hudson and shakes her head at him.

Hudson narrows his eyes at her. "I know that." He retorts and watches Vasquez rolls her eyes again. He then turns his eyes to Onyx. "Hey, you're the Empath right? Don't you know more about these things then the rest of us?"

Onyx nods knowingly as everyone turns their sights on her. "Yes I do… Probably more then I'd like to." She pauses and looks to Ripley, remembering that she has cigarettes. "May I have one before I begin?" Onyx asks politely and Ripley hands her one and lights it for her. "Thanks."

Ripley waves a hand in dismissal, "not a problem." She watches Onyx take a deep drag off the freshly lit cigarette. "Erin, anything you can tell us will help."

Onyx nods and exhales a small cloud of smoke. "From what I know…the Xenomorphs have a very complex system. There are several life cycles they go through. The first stage being the egg, containing the Facehugger parasite. Once the facehugger acquires a host, it injects the Alien embryo into the throat and places it somewhere within the ribcage. Second stage being the chest-burster, which once fully developed is…born, must seek food and shelter because that is when they are in their most vulnerable state. Third stage is when they molt, almost like that of a reptile…"

Hudson following along, cuts her off excitedly. "Like a Snake or Lizard, right?"

"Exactly." Onyx nods and takes another drag off her cigarette while her brain goes through the stored information in her memories. "Once they molt, depending on the Alien's status in the hive, they may molt a few times before they are fully grown."

"Status?" Bishop inquires, very fascinated with her intricate knowledge of this dangerous species. "As in Rank and Position?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean."

"You've gotta be fuckin' kidding me!" Hudson barks, finding the information mind boggling. "You tellin' us these things actually have a hierarchy?"

"That means we've underestimated their intelligence." Ripley adds and takes a drag off of her cigarette. "Erin…could you elaborate in detail how many ranks they have?"

Onyx smiles at Ripley, "I was just getting to that." She swallows the slight lump of anxiety from her throat and lets her mind unravel the information, allowing it to flow freely from her lips. "This is going to sound somewhat…strange, but I'll try to make it easy for everyone to understand. There is…I believe, five ranks all together. The lowest, would be the Drone, they are the workers as well as the ones that create the secreted resin of the hive and take care of the Queen. They have a smoother cranium, and less ridges along their bodies and appear almost mechanical. Just like the one you first encountered on the Nostromo. That was a Drone Ripley."

Ripley's eyes widen at the realization. "I hate to say this, but it _was _different from the Aliens we've come across so far."

"So these Aliens, would be the Soldiers of the hive?" Vasquez adds in question and watches Onyx nod in reply.

"Yes, The Third Rank are called Warriors. They have heavier body armor for up close combat, and have a deadly stinger on the end of their tails like a scorpion, which if used, injects a poison that causes paralysis in their victims. Making it easier to bring hosts back to the hive without further injury."

Ripley furrows her brow. "What's the Second?"

Onyx matches her gaze. "The Runners. Now we haven't seen these ones yet. And doubt we will. The Runners are the scoots of the hive. They generally are…born from Dogs, or other predatory animals. They stand mostly on all fours, have no exterior pipes, the cranium is smooth and the tail, being long and whip like, acts as a rudder when they want to reach high speeds, which can be on any surface. They're extremely agile and if there is more then one, they tend to stay together like a pack of wolves. But here's the thing, they lack the protective armor of their brethren. In fact, they seem to explode if they overheat which is very bad for anyone nearby."

Onyx takes a moment to ash her cigarette in an ashtray nearby and takes another inhale of the deadly poison. "Here comes the fun part of the Ranks…" She says with an exhale of twisting smoke and gets a hardened look to her features. "The Fourth is the Praetorian. The Praetorian can best be described as a Miniature…Queen. They stand well over eight feet tall, at least a foot taller then the Warrior's and Drone's. They have reinforced armor over the entirety of their bodies. They lack the ability to wall climb, which is replaced with tremendous strength and high intelligence. All Xenomorphs acquire the intelligence of their hosts, almost on an adult human's level. Praetorians, unlike the Drone, Runner and Warrior, are genetically pure to the original species. This Rank is very dangerous and the Queen will lay at least one Praetorian egg just incase something happens to her… However, if there are enough resources, she may lay up to at least five Praetorians for protection as well as a back up. In our situation, I don't sense their presence…yet. If the Queen feels threatened at any point, she will lay at least one and it will be hidden somewhere in the hive."

"Jesus…" Hudson says under his breath, his eyes wide.

"Last but not least, The Fifth and Highest Rank… The Queen. She as well as the Praetorian, have a black coloring, have a huge crown, and have two sets of arms. The smaller set is close to the body on the chest plate and slightly lower then the larger arms. The Queen, depending on age, which I'm not sure how old they can get, stands…" Onyx pauses while trying to think of something to compare it to… It suddenly dawns on her. "You know the Power Loader back on the Sulaco?"

Everyone nods but Ripley is the only one that speaks up. "Of course…why?"

"Well…" Onyx takes a very deep needed breath. "The Queen is roughly the same height, perhaps about two to three feet taller. She stands upright on two legs, and is amazingly very agile. But that's when she's not connected to the egg sack. When she's within the hive she's completely stationary, and actually quite vulnerable to any attacks. I believe, she can detach herself if need be…then she's extremely dangerous."

"Well fuck me and call me Sally… I don't know about you, but I'll ice the bitch myself before it comes to that." Hudson exclaims while clutching his weapon close.

Ripley takes a deep breath, having ingested all of this new information. "Well… That is a lot of information and I'm damned thankful that you were here to share it with us." She makes eye contact with Onyx, gives a slight smile of gratitude and then turns her eyes to Bishop. "Bishop, I want these specimens destroyed as soon as you're finished with them. Is that clear?"

Bishop glances at the creatures, pulsing malevolently in their cylinders and then back to Ripley. "Mr. Burke gave instructions that they were to be kept alive in stasis for return to the company labs." He pauses as Ripley's jaw drops. "He was very _specific_ about it."

**-End Chapter Forty-**


	41. Chapter 41:: Mind Games

**[Onyx's Note:: **Thanks for all the feedback!! This chapter...well, more twists and turns are on the way. However, I know everyone wants Burke to get his...and he will...in the Next chapter. You'll love what happens to him...(grins) but until then, sit back...and enjoy the show!**]**

* * *

**::Outside Perspective::**

In a small observation chamber, separated from the Med-Lab by a glass partition, Onyx stands somewhere in the background out of sight as Ripley and Burke have started to square off. _This isn't going to be good… _Onyx thinks to herself as she listens without them knowing.

"Look, those two specimens are worth millions to the bio-weapons division, right? Now, if you're smart...we can both come out of this heroes and we will be set up for life." Burke explains trying to reason with Ripley.

Ripley is completely blown away at the nerve this guy has. "Your crazy, Burke, do you know that? Do you really think you can get a dangerous organism like that past ICC quarantine?"

"How can they impound it if they don't know about it?" Burke replies and Onyx cringes at how stupid he is.

"But they **will** know about it, Burke. From _me_. Just like they'll know that you were responsible for the deaths of one hundred and fifty-seven colonists here…" Ripley counters, her low voice becoming venomous and threatening as she corners Burke like the piece of shit he is.

Burke's eyes widen as he brings his hands up in defense. "Wait a second…"

Ripley doesn't back down. "**You** sent them to that ship."

Burke shakes his head, even though sweat begins forming over his forehead and upper lip. "You're wrong."

Ripley's confined fury and rage begin to rise, finally able to focus on something. "I just checked the colony log...directive dated six-twelve-seventy-nine. Signed Burke, Carter J. You sent them out there and you didn't even warn them." Her voice heightens as her rage becomes more apparent. "Why didn't you warn them, Burke?"

"Okay, look. What if that ship didn't even exist? Did you ever think about that? I didn't know. So now, if I went and made a major security situation out of it, everybody steps in. Administration steps in and there's no exclusive rights for anybody. Nobody wins. So, I made a decision and it was...wrong." Burke pauses and shakes his head as if he's justified for his actions. "It was a bad call, Ripley. It was a bad call."

Ripley's brows rise. "**Bad call?!**"

Burke nods, thinking he's gotten to her. "Right."

Ripley finally snaps. She grabs his collar and slams him hard against the wall, surprising herself and him. "These people are _dead_, Burke!!! Don't you have any idea what you have done here?! Well, I'm going to make sure that they nail you right to the wall for this! You're not going to sleaze your way out of this one! Right to the wall!" She releases him, and looks at him with utter loathing, as if the depths of human greed are a far more horrific revelation than any alien. She turns her back on him and begins to leave.

Burke, clearly shaken and ready to piss himself turns to her fixing his collar. "Ripley, I...you know, I expected more from you. I thought…you would be smarter than this."

Ripley turns and glares at him with a look that could kill. "I'm happy to disappoint you." Ripley strides out. Burke stares after her, his brain begins churning… Wheels within wheels as new conniving ideas swim through his mind.

Onyx sees Ripley approach and slips out of her hiding place from the shadows. Ripley jumps at the sight of her emerging out of virtually no where. "Jesus!" She exclaims, calms down a bit and furrows her brows. "How long have you been standing there?"

Onyx, with an apologetic smile dancing on her lips replies with, "long enough to know that Burke was close to pissing himself."

This causes a chuckle of relief to flow away from Ripley as she shakes her head and then sighs, sobering. "I can't believe him… I knew there was something about him I didn't like."

Onyx pats her on the shoulder gently. "It's okay. If it makes you feel any better…" Onyx trails off as they start to move, passing a door and then walk out, heading toward operations. "I probably would have dismembered him."

"That's comforting to know…thanks." Ripley replies with another chuckle when all of sudden, a strident alarm begins to sound.

"Shit." Onyx blurts out, shares a look with Ripley and suddenly they both break out into a run.

**Operations-Tactical**

Ripley and Onyx double-time it to Hicks' Tactical Console. Hudson and Vasquez come running in as well. Drake and Riddick are already there when Hicks slaps a switch, killing the alarm.

Hudson, wide eyed and on edge. "What is it? What's going on?"

"_They're_ coming." Hicks replies calmly while looking over the screens where the sentry guns are placed.

"Where?" Hudson asks looking over the monitors.

"In the tunnel." Hicks says and waits for the chaos to begin.

In the background, the sound of the sentry guns begin firing. Their loud bursts of fire echoing around the complex like ominous thunder crackling in the far distance.

"Here we go." Hicks says under his breath as everyone gathers around the monitors and the sentry units' displays. The echoing crash of the gun fire and alien screams can be heard everywhere. The sound vibrates beneath them, through the flooring. "A and B guns, tracking and firing. Multiple targets." He announces while the RSS guns pound away, echoing through the area. Their separate bursts overlap in an irregular rhythm. A counter on the sentry displays' counts down the number of rounds fired.

**Service Tunnel - The RSS Guns**

Blasting stroboscopically in the tunnels. Their barrels smoke as they slowly heat up.

**Operations-Tactical**

Hudson, watching in amazement. "Look at those ammo counters go."

Everyone watches the Sentry display as the rounds left quickly decrease.

**Service Tunnel - The RSS Guns**

The units keep blasting everything in sight. Not one creature gets by them, until...

**Operations-Tactical**

"B-gun's down fifty percent." Hicks exclaims while Hudson is glued on the monitors.

"Man, it's a shooting gallery down there." Hudson says, unable to pull his eyes away.

Warning beeps start to emit from the control terminal as the ammo begins to run out. "Sixty rounds left on B. Forty...twenty...ten...B-gun's dry. Twenty on A. Ten...five...that's it." Hicks announces, sweat starting to form on his forehead.

Drake adds his commentary. "Jesus. They're wall to wall in there."

Silence pools through the charged air when suddenly a gong-like booming echoes eerily up from the sub-level.

Hicks, looking toward the sound. "They're at the pressure door."

Hudson, looking in the same direction. "Man, listen to that." He says as the pounding is heard in the distance as the Aliens try desperately to get through.

Suddenly Bishop's voice flows over the com. "Bishop here. I'm afraid I have some bad news."

Hudson snorts sarcastically. "Well, that's a switch."

**Operations-Minutes later**

Everyone, including Bishop, is crowded at the window, intently watching the AP station, which is a dim silhouette in the mist.

"It's very pretty, Bishop." Ripley says, turns away from the window briefly to glance at Bishop. "But, what are we looking for?"

Suddenly, a column of blue flame, like an acetylene torch, jets upward from the station at the base of the cone. "That's it." Bishop points out the window as everyone glances at the blue flame. "The emergency venting."

"Ah, that's beautiful, man." Hudson snorts and starts rambling while walking away. "Ah man, that...that just beats it all."

Hicks turns to look at Bishop. "How long until it blows?"

"Four hours...with a blast radius of thirty kilometers. Equal to about forty megatons." Bishop explains softly.

Hicks looks at everyone. "We got problems."

Hudson, somewhere in the background, continues rambling, his voice pitching. "I don't believe this. I don't fucking believe this!"

"Vasquez. Close the shutters." Hicks exclaims and Vasquez complies.

Ripley, looking to Bishop asks. "Why can't we shut it down from here?"

"I'm sorry. The crash did too much damage. An overload was inevitable, at this point." Bishop replies sympathetically.

Onyx glances over to Hudson, watching him slowly losing it. "Oh, man. And I was gettin' _short_. Four more weeks and out. Now, I'm going to buy it on this rock. It ain't half fair, man!" He exclaims, obviously showing signs of a breakdown.

Vasquez glares over at Hudson. "Hudson, give us a break." She snaps, annoyed with his emotional diarrhea.

"Four more weeks. Oh, man." Hudson adds while running his right hand through his short sweaty hair.

"Chill out Hudson." Onyx says in a cold tone and notes how he's becoming more unresponsive.

"Well, we've got to get the other drop-ship from the Sulaco. I mean, there must be some way of bringing it down on remote?" Ripley states in a question while everyone pauses to think.

"How? The transmitter was on the APC. It's wasted." Hudson barks, his eyes becoming wide with anxiety.

Ripley glares at Hudson. "I don't _care_ how! But, we'd better think of something. We'd better think of a way."

"Think of _what_?" Hudson snarls. "We're fucked!"

Hicks growls at Hudson. "Shutup."

Riddick glares at Hudson as he continues going off. "We're doomed!"

Hicks barks finally cutting him off. "Shut up!" And then turns his attention back to the others. "What about the colony transmitters? The up-link tower down at the other end. Why can't we use that?"

Bishop shakes his head. "No, I checked. The hardwiring between here and there is damaged. We can't align the dish."

Ripley is wound up, her mind spinning out options, grim solutions. "Well, somebody's going to have to go out there. Take a portable terminal and go out there and patch in manually." She explains in a calm, rational tone, surprised that she's able to remain so calm.

"Oh, yeah! Sure! With those things running around. You can count me out!" Hudson whines like a spoiled four year old.

Hicks is beyond annoyed with Hudson. "Yeah, I guess we can just count you out of everything, huh?"

Onyx focuses on Bishop when he gently announces. "I'll go."

Hudson hears Bishop and votes him in. "That's right, man. Why don't you go, man?"

Bishop is looking to Ripley, his voice still quiet. "I'll go."

Ripley narrows her eyes. "What?" She says more out of surprise then anything else.

"I'll go. I mean, I'm the only one qualified to remote-pilot the ship anyway." He states in a thoughtful tone.

"Yeah, right, man. Bishop should go. Good idea." Hudson exclaims, happy that it's not him.

"Believe me, I'd prefer not to. I may be synthetic, but I'm not stupid." Bishop replies and tries to smile, but it melts away from the fear he's feeling.

**Med-Lab**

One of the acid holes from the colonists' siege has yielded access to sub-floor conduits. Vasquez cuts an opening into one of the main shafts. Bishop looks into the shaft with a flashlight, nothing. He hands the flashlight back to Vasquez and then sits on the edge of the hole.

"How long?" Ripley inquires as Bishop readies himself.

"This duct runs almost to the up-link assembly. One hundred eighty meters." Bishop replies as Ripley hands him portable terminal and a small satchel containing tools, which he pushes into the constricted shaft. "Say, forty minutes to crawl down there."

Ripley nods. "Right."

"An hour to patch in and align the antenna. Thirty minutes to prep the ship, and about fifty minutes flight time." He explains and lies down on his back. Vasquez hands him the flashlight.

"It's going to be close." Ripley states and exhales as Vasquez pulls out her service pistol and hands it to Bishop. He looks it over and gives it to Ripley. "Good luck." Ripley says taking the gun.

In cheerful voice he replies before they close him in. "See you soon. Watch your fingers."

Vasquez and Ripley place the metal plate over the hole again. Bishop turns over and squirms into the shaft, pushing the equipment along ahead of him with a scraping rhythm. Vasquez begins spot-welding the plate in place behind him.

While welding Vasquez exclaims softly. "Vaya con dios, man."

**Within the Conduit**

Bishop moves on, crawling in a rhythm with his body and breathing. Ahead of him, the conduit dwindles straight on into forever, to what appears to be infinity, ending in a tiny white dot.

**-Corridor-**

Sentry units 'C' and 'D' are blaring away as the alien onslaught try again from another approach. Their numbers decreasing as they come into contact with the guns.

**Operations-Tactical**

Ripley and Vasquez run to the tactical console, where Riddick, Onyx, Drake and Hicks are mesmerized by the images from the surveillance cameras. The flashes of the sentry-guns flare-out the sensitive video, but impressions of figures moving in the smoky corridor are occasionally visible. The robot-sentries hammer away, driving streamers of tracer fire into the swirling mist.

"This is unbelievable." Hicks exclaims and starts reading off the sentry computers. "Forty meters and closing. Fifteen."

Ripley's eyes are wide, "how many?"

"I can't tell. Lots." Hicks replies and looks to the computers. "D-guns down fifty percent."

**-Corridor-**

The guns' fire lash out at the invaders. The eerie high-pitched screams of dying Aliens echo all around the corridor.

**Operations-Tactical**

Hicks, still watching the computers. "C-guns right behind it."

The monitors show the war. There is an occasional visible glimpse of one of the Aliens, but it is quickly dispatched by the spray of bullets, causing the alien to explode, spewing acid for blood all over the corridor.

Hudson, appearing more nervous by the second rambles. "They ain't stoppin' 'em. They ain't stoppin' 'em."

"Hundred-fifty rounds on D." Hicks exclaims, also becoming nervous.

"Come on." Drake says, cheering on the sentry guns. "Come on, baby. Come on, D!"

Riddick focuses on the sentry display. It's showing 91 rounds in D-gun and dropping. He glances over to the monitors and witnesses more scenes of the seemingly-endless battle going on. An onslaught of Aliens exploding upon contact within the shower of bullets, acid thrown everywhere.

"Come on! Come on!" Hudson barks, his heart pumping faster and faster by the second.

The word CRITICAL starts flashing and beeping on the display screen, indicating the gun is almost dry.

Hicks, on edge now. "D-guns down to twenty. Ten." Suddenly D-gun goes empty. "Damnit!" Hicks barks and gets up quickly, grabbing his gun, and starts to head toward the battle-raged corridor.

**-Corridor-**

D-gun clicks empty and continues tracking. Then the firing from the remaining gun stops abruptly. Both guns' sit billowing smoke, still swiveling back and forth to locate any possible targets.

**Operations-Tactical**

Onyx and Ripley are watching the monitors very closely. The video image is a swirling wall of smoke. There are black and twisted shapes scattered at the edge of visibility. However, nothing emerges from the wall of smoke.

"Hicks!" Onyx barks and remains glued to the monitors.

"Wait! They're retreating. The guns' stopped them." Ripley announces as everyone remains still.

Hicks freezes where he is and stares at the monitors in disbelief. Nothing comes through the smoke and blackness. "You're right." Hicks replies, his weapon clutched tight to his chest.

The moment of silence stretches. Everyone exhales slowly.

"Next time, they walk right up and knock." Hicks says and looks to the display screens, the digital counters for the two sentry units read '0' and '10' respectively. Less than a seconds worth of firing.

"Yeah, but _they _don't know that." Ripley replies and turns away from the screens. "They're probably looking for other ways to get in. That'll take them awhile."

Hudson decides to crack a very bad joke. "Maybe we got 'em demoralized."

"Shut up." Vasquez snarls, annoyed with him as usual.

Drake looks to Hudson. "Give a rest man. Your shit just ain't funny."

Hicks looks to them. "I want you three walking the perimeter." They just look at him when he barks. "Move!"

Ripley picks up a cup of cold coffee, draining it in one gulp. She looks shaken and tired. Onyx is standing close to her and looks to Riddick who motions for her to follow him. They leave the room to a secluded area from everyone as Hicks talks to Drake, Hudson and Vasquez. "Hey, listen. We're all in strung-out shape, but stay frosty and alert. Can't afford to let one of those bastards in here."

"Yeah." Drake nods and looks to Vasquez.

"Right." Vasquez hits Hudson on his chest plate. "Vominos."

The three troopers head for the corridor. Ripley drains down another cup of cold coffee.

Hicks looks to Ripley. "How long has it been since you got any sleep? Twenty-four hours?"

Ripley looks at Hicks. She seems soul-weary, drained by the nerve-wracking tension. When she answers, her voice seems distant, detached. "Hicks…" She begins with a swallow. "I'm not going to end up like those others. You'll take care of it won't you?"

"If it comes to _that_…" Hicks pauses. "I'll do us both. Listen, let's make sure it doesn't come to that. Alright?"

Ripley smiles slightly.

"Hey, I want to introduce you to a personal friend of mine." He picks up his pulse-rifle. Lifting it for Ripley to see. "This is a M-41A pulse-rifle...10mm, with over and under 30mm pump-action grenade launcher." He hands it Ripley. "Feel the weight."

She hefts the weapon, looking it over. It is heavy and awkward. "Okay." She says and looks up at him. "What do I do?"

* * * * *

**-Secluded Area-**

Riddick pulls Onyx to the side and literally backs her up against a wall. Her eyes are wide with questions as he looms toward her, his arms planted on the wall on either side of her head. "Riddick…what the hell are you doing?" She asks in a strained voice, trying to keep anyone from overhearing her.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Riddick growls in a husky voice of dark intentions and licks his lips.

Onyx just gives him a look and puts her hands on his chest, stopping him. "Whoa! You're not serious?" He just grins and her jaw drops. "Riddick this is not the kind of situation to be thinking about sex."

He raises a brow, "on the contrary. This is the perfect moment for a quickie."

"You've got some fucking nerve…" She growls under her breath when he leans down and crushes her mouth in a devastating kiss. Onyx is completely taken off guard by his sudden show of affection. And you'd think, if she were any other woman, she would just go with it. But nope, when it comes to being stubborn…she's at the top of the list.

Somehow Onyx manages to push him hard enough to get him to back off. "Not now Riddick." She announces in a low, breathless tone, her eyes pleading with him. "We can't."

He glares at her disbelievingly through his goggles. "And why the hell not? You know that we won't have anytime for this when the shit hit's the fan." He states in an annoyed voice and watches her cross her arms. "What is it really Onyx? You afraid someone's going to catch us?"

Onyx bites her bottom lip and looks away from him. "I…don't know." She replies softly and can't get herself to look at him. She doesn't know what she wants at the moment…and the fact her cramps are really start to pick up means that she might have to find a bathroom.

Riddick is silent for a moment, leans close and takes a very deep breath of her scent. He backs up slightly and realizes why she's being so difficult. "Baby why didn't you say something?"

Her eyes widen as she just stares at him. "I…wasn't thinking about it."

"Com'on. Let's take care of this." Riddick says softly and gently motions for her to follow as he escorts her to a bathroom nearby. He pauses, opens the door for her and slips a hand into the pocket of his pants. Onyx watches him curiously when he pulls out a fresh Tampon. "Here, I figured to grab one for you."

"Wow…" Onyx exclaims as he places it in her smaller hand. She looks up into his covered gaze. "Thank you…"

He gives a slight smile and kisses her on the forehead. "Don't worry about it. Now go take care of yourself before we have to find you a fresh pair of pants." A bright smile suddenly adorns her features as she leans up on her tip-toes, plants a big kiss on his lips and then vanishes into the bathroom. Riddick sighs and leans against the wall next to the door and shakes his head. "Women."

**-Inside the Bathroom-**

**::Her Perspective::**

_I can't believe I didn't take care of this sooner. At least I'll be prepared_. I think and maneuver myself onto the toilet and take the appropriate measures…of hygiene as I'll call it. Thankfully the bleeding hasn't hit me full forced. It's almost as though my body knew to wait. Once finished on the toilet I strap everything back into place and look into the mirror and find that my reflection is that of a tired young woman, waiting to meet death face to face.

I go to wash my hands when a pain, unlike anything I've ever felt before, slams against my temples. I slump forward, my hands gripping the edge of the sink as my body shakes. It almost feels like something is clawing into my brain with razors for fingers.

_Get out of my head! _I scream inwardly when the pain fades and is replaced by the strangest hissing sound. I blink a few times, my eyes focused on the floor beneath my feet. The hiss comes in and out of my head like dying whispers. Narrowing my eyes I bring my head up and look into the mirror.

My heart stops.

Completely frozen I stare into the face of the _Bitch_ herself… The Queen's grinning mouth meets my gaze within the mirror, as though she's observing me curiously. "No…" I say wordlessly as only my breath follows, my vocal cords completely shut off from the shocked terror of seeing the Queen looking back at me.

I watch as her lips curl back, revealing her almost transparent rows of dagger like teeth. Drool dangles on her lower jaw as she lets out a low and guttural hiss. '_Yes… You are a strange one_…' I hear her deep, inhuman voice hissing in my mind as her head tilts to the side. '_You can hear me…_'

I shake my head trying to block her out…but she keeps speaking. '_Do not fight me… My link is strong and you are connected to my mind…_'

I lock my angry gaze at the reflection before me. 'What do you want?' I ask in my mind and watch her close her jaws and grin.

'_To live_…'

Suddenly there's a pounding on the door which breaks my attention away from the mirror. "Onyx you alive in there?" The handle turns and Riddick slip his head in to look at me. "Jesus you look like you just saw a ghost. You okay?"

I blink a few times and then whip my head back to the mirror. She's gone. "Yes… I think I'm okay now." I reply softly and motion for Riddick to back up so I can get out of the bathroom.

He's staring at me with a strange look on his face. "You're not telling me something…what happened in there?"

I take a deep and shaky breath. "You didn't feel it?"

"Feel what? For a second there you blocked me out." Riddick replies and I can sense that he knows something happened to me.

"The Queen…" I murmur softly and looks at my hands.

"The Queen?" Riddick grabs both of my arms and stares down at me. "_Onyx_…"

I look up, my eyes wide with fear. "She…_knows_."

I can tell his eyes are wide, even behind his protective goggles. "How?"

"She spoke to me, in my mind… She appeared in the mirror and was fucking looking at me!" I bark while trying to keep myself calm. "She fucking linked with me because I'm an Empath. Why now? Why does shit keep happening…"

Riddick cuts me off, stopping me from becoming hysterical. "Calm down baby. Just tell me what she said to you."

"I asked her what she wanted…and she said she wanted to live."

"Did she say anything else?" Riddick asks and I shake my head no. "Onyx, this may be an advantage." I give him a confused look. "If she can link with you, then you can do the same. Maybe you can figure out how she controls the hive."

"Are you talking about me somehow controlling her children?" I pause and just blink at him. "Are you fucking crazy?!"

"Onyx listen to me. She may be strong, but I know we're stronger. You're very connected to animals, and as far as I'm concerned, these things are Still animals." Riddick explains and I start to understand what he's getting at.

"So you're saying that I should find out how her mind works and then utilize that information in a way to somehow over-power her link with the hive. That way I have full control over them, and leaving her completely helpless?" I say and watch a proud smile adorn his intense features.

"Exactly."

_Man…I knew this was going to be a long day…_

**-End Chapter Forty-One-**


	42. Chapter 42:: Angels & Demons

**[Onyx's Note::** Alright Ladles and Jellyspoons...the chapter I know I've been excited to share with everyone... It gets REALLY intense and REALLY twisted in this one... You'll be hangin' off the edge of your seat by the time you hit the end! *_giggles excitedly_* Oh and just a quick sidenote... Onyx, having done that mental link... Ya, I'm an evil bitch to myself... She uhm...she might not make it to the end of this story. I'm not sure yet...still haven't finished the last chapters... Anyhoo, Enjoy!!!!**]  
**

* * *

**::Outside Perspective::**

Ripley has the stock of the M-41A snugged up to her cheek and is awkwardly trying to keep up with Hicks' instructions. "Okay, pull it in tight here." Hicks explains, standing right behind her, leaning toward the right.

"Right." Ripley replies while handling the rifle.

"Lean into it." Hicks says, continuing his instructions as Ripley replies with an 'Uh huh.' He motions with his right hand to the side of the Pulse Rifle. "Alright, it _will_ kick some. Alright, when the counter reads zero here, you…"

Ripley cuts him off, her instincts starting to understand the weapon she's holding. "I press this up?"

Hicks nods, slightly impressed. "That's right." Hicks says as Ripley snaps open the bolt and drops out the magazine. "Then, get another one in quick and slap it in hard."

Ripley does so, fluidly as though she's done this many times before. "Right."

"Now your ready to rock n' roll."

"What's this?" She indicates a stout tube underneath the slender pulse-rifle barrel.

Hicks furrows his brows. "Uh, that's the grenade launcher...I don't think you want to mess with that."

Ripley turns back to look at him. "You started this." She pulls the pulse rifle close, aiming it as she continues. "Show me everything. I can handle myself."

Hicks, unable to keep back the impressed chuckle, he replies with. "Yeah. I've noticed."

* * * * *

The door to Operations opens and Ripley strides out, and walks down the corridor, now carrying her newfound friend, the M-41A. Gorman steps out of the door to the Med-Lab, looking weak, but sound. Burke is right behind him.

Ripley looks to Gorman, ignoring Burke who seems to be hiding behind him. "How do you feel?"

"Alright, I guess. One hell of a hangover." Gorman chimes with a slight smile, when his expression melts into guilt. "Look, Ripley... I just wanna…"

Ripley cuts him off. "Forget it. Excuse me." She shoulders by him into the Med-Lab. Burke watches her as she goes by. Gorman turns to see Vasquez staring at him with cold, slitted eyes.

Ripley crosses the deserted lab, passing through the annex to the small O.R. where she left Newt. Entering the darkened chamber, Ripley looks around. Newt is nowhere to be seen. On a hunch, she kneels down and peers under the bed. Newt is curled up there, jammed as far back as she can get, fast asleep. Still clutching 'Casey'. Ripley stares at Newt's tiny face, so angelic despite the demons that have chased her through her dreams and the reality between dreams. Ripley lays the rifle on top of the cot and crawls carefully underneath. Without waking the little girl, she slides up behind Newt and slips her arms around the child. Newt cries out softly, subconsciously on guard of the things around her.

Ripley coos reassuringly to Newt, trying to ease her nerves. "It's okay." Newt slowly begins to relax. "It's okay."

**Up-Link Tower - View of the AP-Station**

The great mists that once rolled in and covered the complex have lifted away, allowing full view of the processing station from the colony landing field. Great streaks of lightning shoot out from the station in streams of angry blue light, igniting the heavens with electrical tendrils whipping upward and the ground all around.

Bishop stands in the wind at the base of the telemetry tower. He has a test-bay panel open and the portable terminal patched in. His jacket is draped over the keyboard and monitor unit to protect it from the elements as he types frenetically. One of the commands he types causes the dish on the array to swivel and stop. He watches it and then continues typing. He punches a few more keys and then hits a white button marked ENABLE.

**Sulaco Cargo Lock - In Orbit**

The drop-bay is empty and silent, with the remaining ship brooding in the shadows like an ancient sentinel looming quietly in the gloom of a cemetery. Rotating clearance lights come on, splashing streams of color against a metallic background. The hydraulics growl and whine to life. Drop-ship #2 moves out on its overhead track and is lowered into the drop-bay for launch-prep.

* * * * *

**::Her Perspective::**

"Riddick…I don't know if I can do this. I can't…it's too dangerous." I pause and feel the anxiety rising dangerously in my chest. "It's not like I can channel an ALIEN QUEEN everyday!" My voice pitches due to the horrendous amount of fear swimming through my system. I don't know about you, but just thinking about trying to mind probe an Alien intelligence by means of telepathy isn't my idea of a good time. In fact, I think it's one of the craziest and dumbest things on a long list of things I should NEVER attempt. I mean…these abilities I have, which totally creep me the hell out, have been getting stronger ever since I was ripped from my world and thrown into a whole new level of hell. Humans aren't supposed to be this intuitively strong. It's bad. It causes INSANITY. And personally, I'm not one for losing my marbles…even though I feel that I already have.

Riddick rips off goggles and my jaw drops. It's pretty damned bright in here and that has got to kill his eyes. "Look at me Erin." Oh shit… His voice is at that low, dark, beast level and he's glaring at me with his mercury filled gaze. If he ever wanted to get his point across, this would be one of those moments. "There is no such thing as can't. This is a life and death situation and you are the best chance we have to get out of this alive."

I understand his rationalizing, even if I really don't like it. I swallow the hard lump in my throat and find for the first time in a long while, I'm afraid of him. Literally afraid to piss him off. If you were face to face with an Ex-Con with a bad attitude, piercing, eerie shined eyes, who could easily bench press you with one arm…you'd be a little nervous too. "I…" My voice breaks and I clear my throat, trying to be brave, trying to be the woman he believes me to be…and not the coward that's hiding within my bowels. "I'll try." I hear myself say it…but I don't want to believe that I'm capable of Mind screwing an ALIEN race that wants me for dinner.

"No, you won't _Try_. You _Will_. Got me soldier?" Riddick snarls in a voice that reminds of a Master Chief. My throat tries to close up, due to all the damned anxiety swimming like acid through my veins. I nod, close my eyes and force myself to ease away the fear. "You know what to do Erin. So do it and stop bitching."

My eyes snap open and I suddenly feel a tinge of rage pushing its way up my chest and settling somewhere within my ribcage. How dare he talk to me like I'm some fuckin' five year old! Hell, Newt's Seven and she doesn't whine! _Sonuvabitch_… "You want me to mind fuck this bitch? Fine." I growl, slightly unsettled by the darkness in my voice. I ignore it, push it aside and close my eyes. Time to focus. "I doubt this is gonna work Riddick, so don't ride my ass if it doesn't." I add, eyes closed and try to calm my body.

I take a slow steady inhale and let out a controlled breath, readying my body, my soul…and my mind. _Can't think negatively, must achieve the objective. I must find her… Link. I have to…_ I have to allow my entire body to feel as if it's drifting off to sleep while remaining upright. Completely relaxed, my eyes seeing a strange swirling glow against the back of my eyelids as I try to summon my energy to respond for the task at hand.

Eyes closed, at first I'm welcomed with a soft darkness, when flashes of pulsing light begin to grow from the soft glow that once swirled before me. I can feel the lights becoming something more, like tendrils of live energy, filling my mind. It almost feels as though I'm coming out of my skin, lifting off the ground and floating in the air. But I haven't moved. I'm still standing in front of Riddick, my body as rigid as stone, but my mind is beginning to take flight. I hear a strange pulsing sound, as though I've been submerged in some ominous womb, the air holding my soul in suspension. A tingling starts from my toes and slithers throughout my nerve endings. Traveling back and forth, small sparks of electricity filled with information, working overtime, doing what my will demands. Suddenly the pulsing shifts and I can hear an odd wheezing sound.

_Breathing._

I can feel these strange… Thoughts, and intentions, primitive and almost mechanical as a female essence swarms my senses. I can read the energy swimming through me that this female entity wants structure, her children vast and growing in numbers. The thoughts are less sporadic and begin to take form, not quite words…but I can understand them. In my mind, I'm able to reach out and pluck one of these glowing thoughts from the darkness that swells around me. I sense my heart flutter at what I feel. She needs more hosts, more humans to create her strong children. I hone in on the emotions that seem to be spiraling away from these thoughts and catch a slight sense of anger, perhaps vengeance, that seems to tint her emotions as she thinks of how they've be slaughtered. I feel a lump lodge itself in the back of my throat, but I remain calm and keep myself grounded, forcing myself to push on…to seek her out and open the dark inner workings of her alien mind. I feel my breath pause at the thoughts that fill my mind as if they were my own. She wants her hive to grow and thrive. I can feel my brow furrow when I catch the thought I've been searching for… She has a link with her children, a strange feeling I can sense as familiar. That's when it hits me. Like a solar flare illuminating the hollow darkness of space with burning, life giving light. I've found the link…that small string that connects her vast mind to the brood she's created…and suddenly, with great certainty…I know _how_ she's controlling them…

There's a soul shuttering jolt inside me nearly causing me to sway on my steady feet. I clench my eyes tighter as a small snap of electricity sounds in my mind causing a flower of blue energy to bloom before me, crackling and pulsing with an unknown life. I suddenly know I'm no longer alone in the darkness of my mind…the feeling of death's, long, ice covered, skeletal fingers brushing repulsively along my spine…I feel her aware, knowing. I try to remain in my calm state even when I feel the tendrils, thick and poisonous, reaching out to me…trying to find purchase in the intricate weavings of my intellect. With a terrible weight suddenly tangling my intestines with horror, I have the strong distinction that she senses me. I know my body's beginning to shake as I try with everything I have to stay within my protective bubble of calm as two distinct thoughts, not of my own, hit the back of my skull like white blistering fire. The Queen feels exposed. She feels she's been challenged.

I remain surrounded in a strange calm, though my heart is in a flurry, as though a small panic rat, has become trapped within the confines of my chest, when I feel something else…something older, an ancient thing that lies dormant within me…beginning to ascend. Though I can sense the alien consciousness trying to hook her ethereal claws into my brain, I hone in on this primitive energy that's slowly rising from the bowels of my subconscious. There's a sense of recognition as this strange force builds ever stronger within me, gaining mass, I can feel its life, its power linked somehow to me… This primordial weight crawls out of my abyssal darkness, trying emerge. It suddenly dawns on me…this power, this entity familiar to me yet so incredibly unknown, is the very beast within. The animal side, protective and suddenly infuriated that my very well being is under attack…it accepts the challenge…and retaliates.

I hear another teeth rattling electrical snap, louder almost deafening in the catacombs of my consciousness, followed by a slight tremor that runs through my body when a terrible hissing wail, a scream so immense it almost stings to feel it, echoes inside my head. It's the excruciating, stunned wail of the Queen…who's just been at the end of a mammoth telepathic assault.

With an immense sense of triumph, I can feel a chaotic interference…The entire hive mind has been disrupted. There's a sense of overwhelming panic and confusion. The entirety of the hive mind has been split in half. One side is suddenly very aware of my cerebral presence, and as strange as this sounds… My energy seems to pulse toward them, sensing their injured network, constructing a swirling ball of security along their severed link…connecting them to life…to me. I'm suddenly overflowing with a united sensation of safety, their eagerness to be sheltered, to be made whole with a dominant female mind at their center. In a strange unified cry of emotion, they seek guidance, protection, order… They seek a sense of command, the control of a dominant Mother influence, a need so great it leaves me gasping. As my energy begins to replace the alien Queen's influence over the confused and incredibly fervent brood…I sense another creature, one with the strongest psychic ability, crying out to me, it's frantic energy informing me of its youth. The feeling of a scared infant…helpless and alone.

My breath catches again…and I feel the energy of this creature swelling through me like waves breaking on a storm stricken shoreline. With utter dread but immense surprise…I've found a weapon against the alien Queen. A newly developed Praetorian, having been created not more then just a few hours ago out of some poor sonuvabitch that fell victim to a Praetorian face-hugger.

My head begins to pulse and ache, thrumming behind my eyes with a steady torture because of the strain I'm putting my brain through. _Pain is weakness leaving the body_…the faceless beast inside of me, reminds me and I find myself pushing the pain aside, acknowledging it's presence, but not focusing on it. I don't have that option. I have to remain in a complete state of controlled calm. I have to reestablish myself as the Dominant Mother to these intelligent Xenomorphs who are floating adrift on a calm wave of my soul's energy…but if I stop now, or if I'm somehow dislodged from their wavelength…my life force will have been wasted for nothing.

Once focused, the pulsing still present but becoming further away, I create an unbreakable link with the lost children. The Praetorian mind listens, almost thirsty for my reply.

_Young Queen, take the others and bring them close to me. Protect the humans. They are your family. Come quickly, create a barricade. Protect your humans. Molt young Queen, molt quickly. Your growth is needed for the new hive. Protect **your** Humans. **Do not **create an egg sack, no need for more. Just grow my young Queen. Grow very quickly. Grow to protect us. To protect the humans. Protect the family._

I feel the pulsing agony becoming thunderous, vengeful, but I ignore it. I can't stop now… _Pain is Weakness leaving the _body I repeat in silence and hear the soft murmur of hissing enter my mind. 'Yes Mother, we are coming. Obey. We obey. I obey. Protect the humans, protect the family. Grow, I must. Grow to Protect. We are coming.'

The young, echoing voice fades from my mind and I can literally sense movement, a huge living mass of Xenomorphs moving away from the Alien Queen's Hive. I can feel them making their way toward the compound, leading the start of a rebellion that will shatter the boundaries of their Alien Heritage.

Most of my energy depleted, I begin to gather myself back into my body, feeling more and more weak as the pain becomes an immense misery along my nerve endings. _Stay awake…just a little longer…god damn it stay awake_! I command myself and begin to see little white dots forming on the back of my eyelids. _Come on body, don't do this now…don't go out on me…_

Just as I'm about to reopen my eyes, I feel a terrible burning inside my temples followed by the feeling of the Old Queen bubbling in a chorus of diabolical laughter, thundering and spreading throughout my exhausted mind like a cloud of venom. 'You are too late… Foolish…' Her hissing snarl fades when a crack of lightening flashes before my eyes…

Every ounce of my energy slips away from me…hurling my weakened form into a deep blanket of darkness, overtaking my essence as though I were being swallowed by some hellish beast, jaws unhinged, throat gaping…as it consumes my helpless soul.

**::Outside Perspective::**

Riddick senses that something has gone very, _Very_ wrong when her body slumps forward, collapsing against him. "Onyx?" No response, "Onyx!" Riddick bellows as blood begins to pour freely from Onyx's left nostril. He tries to shake her awake but her body becomes completely lifeless and literally crumples in his strong arms. A bitter sensation of horror fills his broad chest as her flesh becomes deathly pale, the texture of her warm skin unexpectedly clammy and cold. Riddick feels partially to blame for having pushed her to do what she's done… He knows what has transpired to cause her sudden lifelessness, thankful of the link he shares with her, but Riddick finds himself at a loss, unable to do more then hold her…knowing that she pushed herself too far.

The human vessel itself is surprisingly weak and fragile. It isn't built to handle the immense strain she's put on herself. The energy it took to do what Onyx has done…without having built up the strength to control its effect on her physical form, an immunity you could say…has caused irreversible damage to her body. Which may result in a total system failure…

This was the risk they both were willing to take. But now Riddick fears she won't come back from this…that she won't wake up.

"Wake up." No response, her pulse is incredibly faint. "God damn it! I need you to fight it! You're stronger then this woman! FIGHT IT!" Desperation is hanging from his words like a spider dangling from a single strand of spider's silk…the consequences of her actions now more evident as she remains limp in his arms…

**Surgery**

Ripley suddenly awakens with a start. A strange feeling runs through her, as if something has happened but she can't pinpoint the cause… So she dismisses it and checks her watch...only an hour has passed. She sighs and runs a hand through her hair and goes to curl up once more with Newt when she notices something and freezes.

Across the room, just inside the door to the Med-Lab… Are two stasis cylinders. Rocking softly back and forth, they remain on their sides with the tops hinged open and the suspension fields switched off. Ripley feels terror well up in her throat as she notices the cylinders, that were once the liquid cage for those pulsing, arthritic looking hands of the alien parasites…are now empty.

_Oh god no… _She thinks fearfully, knowing that the facehuggers are loose within the facility…and they can be anywhere.

"Newt." She whispers and gently shakes the young girl. "Wake up."

Newt's eyes flutter open. "Wha....?"

Ripley, not wanting to startle her, continues to whisper softly. "Be quiet. We're in trouble."

Newt nods, now wide awake. They listen in the darkness for the slightest betrayal of movement. Ripley reaches up and, clutching the springs of the underside of the cot, begins to inch it away from the wall. When the space is wide enough, she cautiously slides herself up between the wall and the edge of the cot, reaching for the rifle she left lying on top of the mattress. Her eyes clear the edge of the bed.

The rifle is GONE.

She snaps her head around, heart pounding in her throat, waiting for something…anything as to where the facehuggers might be. Suddenly, a scuttling shape leaps toward her. She ducks. The obscene thing hits the wall above her and makes an odd squeaking sound. Reflexively, she slams the bed against the wall, pinning the facehugger inches above her face. It's fingers for legs writhe as its tail whips wildly with incredible ferocity. Newt lets out a high pitched scream.

"Move, Newt!" Ripley barks, and gently pushes her hand against Newt who begins sliding out from under the cot. Ripley, in a frenzied scramble, rolls from underneath the bed. She flips it over, trapping the creature beneath its weight. They back away, gasping. The facehugger manages to wriggle its pulsing body out from under the bed, scuttles onto the slippery floor and disappears under a bank of cabinets in a blur. Ripley and Newt head toward the door, moving as if every object in the room has a million volts running through it. They reach the door with a soft thud. Ripley hits the wall switch. Nothing happens. Disabled from the outside. They try pushing the door open manually, but it is jammed. They move to the observation window.

She and Newt pound on the window. From the outside, they look like mimes because no sound gets through the double thickness of the window. Ripley looks down on a table outside the room and _Sees_ her rifle laying on it. _Burke you bastard… _Ripley snarls inwardly and yells, "help!"

Ripley looks around and spies the surveillance camera. She quickly moves over to it and waves her arm in a circle while yelling. "Hicks!"

Newt, also shouting. "Help! Somebody!"

**Operations**

Burke looks at the monitor showing Ripley waving her arms. There is no sound, a surreal pantomime. Beads of sweat form over his pale lip and forehead as Hicks talks into his headset.

"Uh, say again, Bishop. You've got it into outer refuel mode and the sequencing, right?"

Burke's hand slips up carefully and switches off the monitor. Ripley's image vanishes. As Burke straightens casually from the console, Hicks is talking via headset with Bishop in the background and hasn't noticed Ripley's plight or Burke's action.

Bishop's voice comes over the com. "That's right!"

"Okay, good. Stay on it." Hicks replies, still unaware of Burke's actions.

"That's where I am now!" Bishop says over the wind and static coming in through the com.

"Get back to me when you've activated the launch cycle." Hicks says finally and Bishop replies with 'Roger'. Hicks turns to Gorman, "he's at the up-link tower."

"Good." Gorman replies as Burke stays back, hiding his nervous expression.

"Terrific." Burke adds, knowing what kind of danger Ripley and Newt are in…but only caring about the kind of money he'll make when he brings them back to the company with the alien embryo's hidden within their chests.

* * * * *

Riddick, having laid Onyx out along the deck at his feet, he's about to bring Onyx in his arms to carry her when she suddenly sits up with a start, her eyes wide open as though a fire has been lit under her ass. "Ripley!" Onyx barks out in a soft voice, her head clear, her mind focused. She brings her wide gaze to Riddick, who's now wearing his goggles. "We have to get to Hicks. Ripley and Newt are in trouble."

"Onyx, you shouldn't move… Your body needs to recover." He says this but knows she won't listen.

Onyx feels rage swim through her veins and ends up getting back onto her feet, spine straight, shoulders back, eyes narrowed. "Pain is Weakness leaving the body." She growls, goes to turn on the ball of her boot when Riddick grabs her shoulders and spins her around.

"I don't know what the fuck is going on in that head of yours, but this stubborn shit needs to stop. And Now." Riddick snarls in command and watches as she looks him up and down, unimpressed. "Don't you dare look at me like that."

"I'm fine Richard. I am." Onyx says in a softer tone, even if her eyes seem to have taken on a crimson hue. "We have to get to Hicks… The facehuggers are loose."

"That's all well and good, but you're not moving." Riddick growls back, beyond relieved that she's coherent, but weary of this new tone in her voice. "You're too weak."

"Then how in the hell am I supposed to help?!" Onyx barks in fearful tone when she's suddenly answered by being swept off her feet and cradled in Riddick's arms.

"You know woman, you make things a lot harder then they need to be." Riddick grumbles between his clenched jaws and carries her back to Operations as quickly as possible.

* * * * *

Ripley, shouting at the top of her lungs while still waving into the camera. "Hicks! Hicks! Hicks!"

"Help! Help!" Newt shouts along side Ripley and looks to the glass.

"Hicks! Help us!" Ripley calls out when Newt gets her attention by pounding on the glass.

"Break the glass!" Newt calls to her and pounds on the glass for emphasis. "Break it. Break it."

Ripley comes over and gently moves Newt to the side. "I'll try."

Ripley picks up a steel chair and slams it against the observation window. It bounces back from the high-impact material. She tries again to no success, knocking over some equipment. She drops the chair and backs against the window. Eyes wide, Ripley studies the room. She hears the facehuggers scurrying around on the floor but can't pinpoint their location.

"Ripley…" Newt whispers, soft terror dancing in her tiny voice, "I'm scared."

She turns to Newt, breathing hard and whispers back, "Me too."

Ripley steadies herself, realizing Newt's horror and the little girl's dependence on her. She gets an idea. "Stay here." She motions to Newt with her hand to stay still and removes her lighter from a jacket pocket. Moving cautiously across the room, every muscle tense and ready to spring, she lifts the lighter and strikes it under the temperature-sensor of a fire-control system sprinkler head. As soon as the small flame licks the sensor, it triggers with a burst of cold water, spraying the room from several sources. An ALARM sounds throughout the complex, thrumming an eerie chorus. Newt doesn't wait, she runs to Ripley, hugging her tight.

**-Operations-**

Riddick enters the room, allowing Onyx to finally stand on her own. Hicks looks at them with concern, noticing the sickly hue to Onyx's skin. "Hicks, Ripley and Newt are in trouble." Just as the words pass Riddick's mouth an alarm sounds.

Hicks jumps at the sound of the alarm, finally identifying its source among the lights flashing on his board. "It's the Med-Lab!" He bolts for the door with Onyx and Riddick just behind him, as he begins yelling into his headset while he moves. "Drake, Hudson, Vasquez, meet me in Med-Lab! We've got a fire!"

Drake replies over the com. "We're on our way!"

Hicks grabs a fire extinguisher as he quickly runs to the source of the problem. Riddick grabs Onyx and again cradles her in his arms, not wanting her to further injure her already exhausted body and follows suit, with Gorman following close behind.

**-Surgery-**

Ripley and Newt are drenched as the sprinklers continue to drizzle in the darkness. "They're coming, Newt." Ripley is eye-level with a complex surgical multi-light. She looks into its tangle of arms and cables, inches away.

She looks away briefly when Her eyes snap back. Something suddenly leaps at her face. She lets out a blood curdling scream and falls, splashing to the floor. Newt shrieks and scrambles away as Ripley hurls the facehugger off of her. It slams against a wall, uprights itself, then skitters across the floor straight toward her like a massive pissed off spider. She scrambles desperately, pulling equipment over as she moves, clawing across the floor in a frenzy of motion.

The facehugger, dodging everything she throws at it, leaps at her face. She throws out her arms instinctively and grabs it with both hands, forcing the pulsing body away from her face.

Newt screams not knowing what to do, backing away, until she is pressed up against a desk next to a wall. The facehugger's tail whips around Ripley's throat and begins to tighten, forcing the underside of its body close to her. Ripley thrashes about, knocking over equipment, sending instruments clattering.

Newt, still screaming, doesn't notice as crab-like legs appear from behind the desk, right behind her. Instinctively, she feels something behind her, spins around and finally sees it. Immediately Newt stops screaming and, thinking fast, jams the desk against the wall, pinning the writhing thing's tail. The desk jumps and shudders against all the pressure her tiny body can bring to bear on it. She wails between gritted teeth as the second facehugger's segmented tail slowly pulls free an inch at time as it works toward her, programmed to do what it does best…by any means possible.

Without a moment to lose, the team of soldiers appear outside the room, with Hicks leading. He immediately sees what's going on inside. "Shoot it out!" Hicks hollers to Hudson and Drake as everyone backs up.

Hudson and Drake shoot a short burst of pulse-fire into the observation window, shattering the tempered glass. Hicks dives into the crazed spider-web pattern and explodes into the room. He hit's the wet floor rolling, and slides across to Ripley. Hudson, Gorman, Drake and Vasquez leap into the room after Hicks. Gorman and Vasquez rush to help Hicks pull at the creature and Ripley.

Newt sees Hudson and Drake. "Hudson!"

"Jesus! Christ kid, look out!" Hudson calls out as Drake pulls her back behind him. Hudson puts his boot on the desk, bearing his weight against the writhing creature and blasts the second facehugger against the wall and floor. Point-blank. Acid and smoke. "Fucking die!"

Hicks and Gorman have got their fingers around the thrashing legs of the vicious beast and are pulling it away from Ripley's face, though Ripley is losing strength as the tail tightens sickeningly around her throat.

Riddick sets Onyx down behind the broken glass, jumps into the other room, becomes soaked by the sprinklers, appears at Ripley's side and grabs the tail, helping to unwind it's writhing length like a boa constrictor coil from her throat. Hicks gets the rest of it free. All of them grip the struggling creature as it begins to emit disgusting mewling sounds of fear.

"Over there!" Hicks motions to an open spot in the room. "Ready?!"

"Yeah!" Riddick replies, his powerful arms straining to control the pissed off facehugger.

"Now!" Hicks screams as he and Riddick hurl the thing into a corner. WHAM! Vasquez gets it clean with her rifle. Ripley collapses in Hicks' embrace, gagging. The alarm and sprinklers shut off automatically. Newt runs up and hugs Ripley with Onyx suddenly right behind her, obviously too worried to care if her body's too weak to move.

"Hudson?!" Hicks calls out as Hudson and Drake walk over.

"Yeah, all clear. I nailed the other one. It's history, man." Hudson replies, his adrenalin peaking.

Hicks, panting from all the excitement. "Jesus."

"Burke…" Ripley coughs, regaining her breath as she holds Newt close, Onyx kneeling next to her with a concerned look on her face. "…it was Burke."

**-Ten Minutes Later-Operations-**

Burke, looking icy calm, although beads of sweat form along his brow and upper lip, betray intense concealed tension. Hudson comes up and shoves his rifle into Burke's face. "I say we grease this rat-fuck, sonuvabitch _right now_."

Hicks, pacing back and forth. "It just doesn't make any Goddamn sense."

Ripley, staring at Burke, her expression filled with a dead calm. "He figured that he could get an alien back through quarantine...if one of us was...impregnated...whatever you call it...then frozen for the trip home. Nobody would know about the embryos we were carrying. Me and Newt." She says as Newt sits to her left just behind her, wearing Ripley's jacket, clutching 'Casey' in a death grip against her chest.

Hicks furrows his brow and pauses in his pacing. "Wait a minute, now. We'd all know."

"Yes." She says and swallows the lump from her throat, "The only way he could do it is if he sabotaged certain freezers on the way home." Ripley pauses to look everyone in the eyes. "Namely yours." She goes back to staring at Burke. "Then he could jettison the bodies and make up any story he liked."

Onyx stands close to Ripley as Riddick stands directly behind her, almost looming as they too glare down at Burke. "He's a fucking worm… I say we feed him to the Aliens." Onyx snarls softly as Hudson gets a look of disbelief on his face.

"_Fuck_! He's dead." Hudson turns and shoves the barrel of his rifle, once more, into Burke's face and growls. "You're dog meat, pal."

"This is so nuts. I mean listen…" Burke begins, trying to mask the fact that he's totally screwed himself over. "…listen to what you're saying. It's paranoid delusion. It's really sad. It's pathetic."

Ripley steps forward clearly disgusted with him. "You know, Burke, I don't know which species is worse. You don't see _them_ fucking each other over for a goddamn percentage."

Before Hicks moves in to grab Burke, Onyx steps forward and stands directly in front of Burke, a deadpan look on her features. No one speaks, everyone is curious as to what she'll do next as Burke eyes her suspiciously. As the silence spans out over a minute, he goes to open his mouth when her arm stretches back and surges forward, sending one hell of a powerful right hook into his jaw. There's a loud crash as he goes flying back, landing hard on his ass. Onyx turns calmly over to Hicks and nods, then walks back over to Riddick.

Hicks and Riddick share knowing glances when Hicks walks over to Burke. "Alright, we waste him." He grabs him by the collar of his shirt and flings him up into the air, pulls his face close to his and snarls, "No offense."

Ripley shakes her head. The rage giving way to a sickened emptiness. "No! He's gotta go back."

Suddenly the power goes out. Everyone stops in the sudden darkness, realizing instinctively it is a new escalation in the struggle to somehow survive. The emergency lighting kicks in, basking everything in an eerie red glow.

Ripley, wide eyed whispers. "They cut the power."

"What do you mean, _they_ cut the power?" Hudson barks, switching back to being his hysterical self. "How could they cut the power, man?! They're animals!"

"Wait!!" Onyx barks and gets everyone's attention. "Everyone stay calm… I, I can help."

Riddick, knowing what kind of toll it took on her body the first time, doesn't want to chance it. "No. Onyx you can't."

She knows it'll probably kill her, but she has to chance it. Onyx brings a hand up, "It's the only way."

Hicks, as well as everyone else, is really confused at this point. "Look we don't have a lot of time…"

"Please, you guys gotta trust me on this." Onyx explains, terrified but amazingly calm. "Everyone stay frosty and DO NOT leave this area." She says and looks to Riddick, her eyes pleading. "Riddick I have enough energy. I can do it."

Riddick sighs and finally, for the first time before everyone, he removes his goggles and looks into her eyes. "You do this, there's no turnin' back." Blue mercury shimmers within a sea of liquid silver as he searches her gaze, "You gotta be sure."

Onyx gives a quick nod, even though she's inwardly chilled to the bone, "I am…just make sure no one leaves." She replies and watches him nod in reply. She turns and notices everyone staring at Riddick with shocked looks on their faces. "He was born with light sensitive eyes." She explains quickly as if it's important and before anyone can question her she takes a deep breath and closes her eyes.

This time the connection between Onyx and her newly adopted 'children' is instantaneous. She can sense the Praetorian, by some miracle, after one hours time is just a mere seven minutes away from emerging from her cocoon as a New Queen. _My children, I need you now… Come to the humans, protect the family. Fight the enemy, fight for the family. Protect. Fight for the humans…NOW! _She screams in mind speak and feels the aliens she has deemed her 'children' letting out screams of war, readying themselves to fight. Strangely enough, she can hear them all in unison, calling back to her. It's all jumbled until she makes out a distinct unified thought. 'We come Mother. Protect Mother, protect the humans.'

Onyx sways back and forth, losing more precious energy. Riddick is the only one that knows what's going on and tries to relay it back to the others. "Now we're all on the same page…and hopefully she'll come out of this before she collapses."

Hudson's eyes are wide, sweat dripping down his face. "Oh great she's linked to those fuckin' things?!" He rambles out when Drake appears next to him and socks him in the side, gaining his attention.

"Fuckin' relax!" Drake growls and holds his piece ready, "Don't need your god damned hysterics right now, got me?"

Hudson swallows his fear and sobers, "Oh man, I'm gonna need some serious therapy when all this shit's over with." Hudson exclaims while shaking his head.

"Just seven minutes…" Onyx whispers to herself as her eyes flutter open, her vision blurry. "We'll be alright."

Riddick takes a hold of her shoulders and looks deep into her eyes. "They're coming?"

A brilliant, almost devilish smile stretches her weary face. "Oh yea…" She pauses as the sounds of her _children's _voices dance through her mind. She closes her eyes for a moment, sways because of her lack of energy and then looks to the ceiling. "They'll be dropping in very soon."

Hicks gets Onyx's attention. "Dropping in? You sayin' these things will be coming in through the ceiling?"

"They won't hurt us." Onyx replies in a very matter of fact tone and looks to Ripley who's wearing a very weird look on her face. "They're coming to protect us."

"I'll believe it when I see it." Drake chimes under his breath when the two motion Trackers go off.

Suddenly there's a crash and a part of the ceiling gives way…revealing a large group of Aliens, pouring into the room. Hudson instinctively goes to fire when Riddick grabs his arm and manages to push the rifle to the wall, missing the aliens. "No Firing!" Riddick's baritone voice bellows and causes Hudson to just stare into his eerie shined eyes.

Everyone backs up, Newt scurries behind Ripley unable to look upon the Xenomorphs terrifying forms, but Onyx steps forward. Weak, she loses her balance, stumbles and nearly falls face first onto the deck.

"Erin No!" Ripley screams out when a pair of strong…_black_…clawed. skeletol hands carefully, take hold of her, and very gently, lift her onto her feet. The alien, with its metallic jaws glistening like some terrible creature out of an H.P. Lovecraft Nightmare…seems fascinated with her. Its long whip like tail swaying casually behind it, like a cat calmly sitting in its perch…as it studies her with its eyeless face.

Onyx hears the wheezing like breath before she brings her eyes to the Alien directly in front of her. A wave of emotions run through her as she swallows back a lump, takes a sharp breath and manages a small, nervous smile. "Thank you." She says softly and raises a trembling hand up, terrified and curious as to how the alien will react.

To everyone's shocked surprise, including Onyx even though she knows it's one of hers…isn't sure how strong the link she created is…until it bows its massive curved skull down, pressing the smoother part of its forehead against the clammy palm of her small, trembling hand…and lets out a strange hissing purr of submission.

Hudson's jaw is dropped and for the first time in his life…he has nothing to say.

Riddick looks to Hicks and Ripley, all sharing the same disbelieving, horror filled expression and shrugs. "It's an _Animal Thing_."

**-End Chapter Forty-Two-**


	43. Chapter 43:: Struggle to Hang On

**[Onyx's Note:: **So that last one was a doozy...and well, in this one...it just gets worse. Poor Onyx... (I'm so mean to myself lol) she's struggling to keep herself together. Still debating on what I'm gonna do with her... All I know, is that when I get there...it's gonna be twisted lol. Riddick finally takes the reigns (YAY) and we get to see big bad and the Marines in Action! Alright, I'll shuttup now lol. Get ready for another crazy Installment! And as always, Enjoy!**]  
**

* * *

**::Her Perspective::**

What in the hell am I doing? I'm not built for this… I can't handle this… I can't tell anyone. My body is weak, weaker then Riddick really knows. Good thing I'm stubborn, I can act like everything's fine. No one really knows that…I think…No, I know I'm dying. My brain, the telepathy, my beast… Heh funny name for just a primal part of me. In this universe, I can bring out powers I've always dreamed of. I can allow myself to manifest them…but of course, with great gifts, comes great sacrifice. And I'm willing, to do everything in my power, to save these people. Even if it means it'll kill me. Because as much as I hate to admit it, I'm not one of those Mary Sue's you read in stories. Gods wouldn't that be great? Have all of this power and no weakness? Bah…I've got tons of weakness. I'm only human. I know, that having my period, causes my immune system to drop on its own. Now that I've put so much tremendous strain on my brain, which in turn has had a very negative effect on my body… I don't think I'm going survive this nightmare.

Riddick however, I wish he knew the kind of power he holds. He has the ability to control these aliens, make them his. Hell if it wasn't for him, my ability as an Empath would never have been this strong. He brought that out of me. I don't know if I resent him for that. Why should I? It wasn't his fault that on some other plane of existence he had an evil twin brother… Honestly? I don't think they're genetically related. I have a feeling he's a doppelganger. Like an alternate universe version of yourself. But in Riddick's case, I'm still not sure which one is the evil one. Richard, my Riddick, is openly dark and straight forward. The other one, Damien, was diabolical and had hidden motives. Yea…maybe he's the Eviler one. At this point, I don't really care. I've only got a short time left before my life slips away from me. So I'm gonna focus on the present.

Should I be angry at everything that's happened? Naw… If anything I'm incredibly thankful. I had no real meaning in my life until I met him. He brought me this new life, whether I really wanted it or not. And I can honestly say that if I die, knowing I saved someone's life, and was loved by the man of my dreams…I think I'll be okay. Sure the thought of death is the one thing that scares me the most, and I'm not ready to go. But with my immune system shutting down and my inner workings deteriorating the way that they are, I'll be surprised if I live past the next six hours. I can feel it, deep in my chest, in my bones. I feel like I'm fading away, breaking slowly, the heart weakening, slower and slower with every staggered breath I take. I'm fighting to keep my eyes open, to keep myself aware. My vision is starting to go in and out, filled with these little white dots.

It's amazing that I'm able to still think of all of this, so clearly, as I pet the smooth frontal lobe of a Warrior Xenomorph. In a strange and twisted way, this is another dream come true. To touch such an incredibly dangerous and vile creature, but have it be so gentle, so careful not to frighten or hurt me, is comforting. Another gift Riddick has given me. And this odd feeling of being connected to this creature, sensing its thoughts, its feelings, knowing that it would die for me…die for the humans. Protect everyone I care about around me. Gives me a sense of hope.

I have to pull my hand back before I collapse again. Gods I hate feeling so weak, like my life is slipping away from me. And…it is. Gods I don't want to die. I want to live damn it! Damn it… I can't go out like this, I can't just waste away! Maybe…just maybe I'll survive. But not as a vegetable. No fucking way. That is worse then death. To be trapped in your body, unable to move, or speak. Trapped in your mind, unable to call out for someone to just end it all. Oh fuck that! If I'm going to die, I'm going to do it my way.

I'm going to go out fighting.

**::Outside Perspective::**

"Riddick come here." Onyx says softly, weakly, and is inwardly angry at herself for not being able to mask her voice.

Riddick steps forward carefully, still unnerved that these…_things_ are acting like domesticated cats. Big cats. With sharp teeth, skeletal bodies and acid for blood. His movements are calculated, dangerous, on edge. His instincts screaming at him to be weary. Sure he could kill one these bad boys, after they put up one helluva fight, but the acid for blood thing…not a plus. He'd have to find a way to work around that. Acid dilutes in water, so if he were to kill one of these things up close, it would have to be in water. Sprinklers or outside in the rain.

The Alien stands patiently, curious as the larger male human, obviously a warrior, approaches. Its instincts tells it to hiss out a warning, but a deep telepathic rumbling voice rolls into its thoughts. _I'm not gonna hurt ya big guy… I'm just checkin' you out. Easy boy…easy. _

Riddick spoke in thought toward the weary beast and watches as it cocks its massive cranium to the side like some deranged puppy. Bringing out a paw of a hand, he lets it rest, palm facing up for the creature to take in his scent. The alien seems to consider the offering carefully. It bows it massive jaws, slowly opens its grinning mouth and allows its inner, smaller pair of skull crushing jaws to extend, brush gently against the skin of his palm, and then return back in its mouth. Before Riddick can react the Alien takes a step forward and nudges its forehead into his hand as though begging for him to pet it.

Ripley and Newt are rigid and unwilling to move. These creatures, that haunt their dreams, are standing in front of them with little to no animosity about them. They don't feel threatening. But they Are terrifying. Nightmarish creatures, that have ruined their lives, standing there…willing to protect them.

"This ain't right man! This just ain't right!" Hudson's terrified voice breaks the silence and brings everyone back to the present. Vasquez and Drake give him an condescending look and he just shakes his head. "I'm just sayin' what everyone's thinkin'!" His voice pitches as his eyes widen. "The lights ain't on, powers out and those…other things are still out there! We've gotta get outta here now, man!"

"Chill out Hudson!" Hicks barks at him and then looks to Ripley. "We should get everyone moving."

Ripley nods, swallowing the lump of terror in her throat and looks at Onyx and Riddick with wide eyes. "These…_aliens_, obviously aren't going to hurt us…but we don't know how long they'll stay disconnected from the Queen." She explains in a careful tone, afraid that if her voice breaks it would catch these Aliens attention. The last thing she needs is for one of these gentle Xenomorphs to take a liking to her. Alien, friendly or not, is a killer. Just like with any wild animal, you can never tame them fully…

Riddick is fascinated beyond words. Now this is _his_ kind of pet. "Alright listen up." Riddick's voice is low and commanding, carrying an air of authority that Onyx is finally thankful to hear. He turns his uncovered gaze of liquid blue mercury toward the others. "We get out of here, now. These guys will stay behind us, watch our backs." He motions with a pat of his hand on the Alien's forehead…it seems to hiss in agreement. "Hicks, you keep watch upfront, stay with Ripley and Newt. Drake, Vasquez and Hudson, stay frosty. Especially you Hudson." Riddick pauses and steps away from the Alien, allowing more of its 'brothers and sisters' to move closer to the group. Riddick watches Newt's eyes widen in terror. "Gorman, keep tight on Burke. Don't let him get out of your sight."

Gorman grabs Burke by the collar and jerks him closer. "Not a problem."

"Onyx…" Riddick finally addresses his companion, and notices the frail look that's melting over her exterior. "Baby you gotta be straight with me. Can you keep up?"

She swallows slowly, almost fearfully, as though her energy is fleeting and she has to watch how much she uses. "I can keep up." She lies, trying to give her best stubborn smile, not willing to let him into her mind, blocking him with the last of her strength. _I can't let him know…not yet… Not if I can help it. Gotta be strong, gotta keep up. Gotta fight it._

Riddick furrows his brow. _Somethin' ain't right…she's hiding something from me. _He thinks and lets out a growl of a sigh. "Alright then." He grumbles between his teeth and wraps his arms around her, lifts her into the air and holds her securely in his arms. "Fine, we do this the hard way."

Riddick turns to the others. "Anyone not ready for this?" He chimes with a half grin and watches Drake cock his pulse-rifle. "Let's get the hell outta here."

Hicks returns the smile, "right. Let's move people."

* * * * *

The group move together toward Med-Lab when several loud crashes come up from behind them. The other aliens have come through the ceiling. "Move NOW!" Riddick roars out as their 'controlled aliens' behind him turn and fight their brethren. The sounds of high pitched unearthly screams echo all around them in the darkness, as though hell itself had opened its gates and unleashed its fury.

Burke, seeing his chance, jabs his elbow into Gorman's stomach, giving him just enough time to get away. Ripley grabs Newt, and witnesses Burke clear the door to the Med-Lab Annex. He slides it closed right in her face. Ripley slams into the door. Hears it lock from the far side. "Burke! Open this door!" She wails in terror when her rage boils to the surface and her voice becomes a weapon. "Burke! Open it!"

**-On the other side of the Door-**

Burke slowly backs away from the door. The sounds of the battle still penetrate through it. Terror shows in every part of his body. He has to get away, he has to survive. _I'm not going to die for them. _He thinks in a panic and feels his heart thundering wildly in his chest.

* * * * *

The 'controlled aliens' become an almost impenetrable barricade to protect the humans. Screams and high pitched wails bounce off the walls as they fight their angry brethren. Alien against Alien, acid for blood dripping and spewing to the deck, causing twists of smoke to billow into the darkness.

Hudson, not wanting to just run away from a fight, stands amongst the 'controlled aliens' adding his pulse-rifle to ward off the attacking horde. Knowing by the way the 'controlled aliens' around him hissed and snarled, he opens fire on a group of three aliens that have dropped through the ceiling. "Die, mother-fucker!"

Riddick has placed Onyx next to Ripley and Gorman as they continue to try and open the door. "Burke!" Ripley screams knowing that weasel bastard is trying to escape without them.

"Stay here." Riddick growls at Onyx and charges back into the chaos with Hicks.

Hicks, Drake and Vasquez are unloading their weapons on the attackers, while Hudson is in front of the 'controlled alien' barricade. "Hudson!! HUDSON!" Hicks calls out to him but Hudson is so caught up in the moment he can only think of one thing… Killing.

"Mother fucker! Come on! Come and get it, baby! I don't got all day!" Hudson taunts wildly while blasting the 'killer aliens' left and right as they approach. "Come on! Come on, you bastard! Come on, you too!" Hudson suddenly spins to his left and aims his pulse-rifle. "Oh, you want some of this! Fuck you!" Unloading a few rounds when the 'killer alien' just explodes.

Hudson is so busy yelling and shooting at the approaching creatures that he doesn't notice the floor panels smash under him and clawed arms reach out to seize him with a lightning speed, ready to drag him down into the floor. He yells and fires into the floor when he's suddenly grabbed by the waist and is jerked back. Stunned, but unwilling to stop fighting he notices momentarily that he was just saved by Riddick.

"Fall back, NOW!" Riddick roars and shoves him back toward the corridor, saving him from certain death. "Everyone Fall Back!" He calls out, and as though understanding human speech, the 'controlled aliens' follow suit, keeping the 'killer aliens' at bay.

Hicks, Hudson, Drake, Vasquez and Riddick seem to materialize out of the smoke and run toward Ripley and the others at the door. "It's locked!" Ripley shouts, indicating the door Burke used for his escape.

"Hicks, your cutting torch!" Riddick barks as Hicks unsnaps the torch off his belt and begins cutting into the lock. As the flame from the torch melts the metal into white-hot liquid and breaks, Ripley watches nervously down the corridor as Hicks finishes on the lock.

"Got it!" Hicks exclaims and allows the others to get passed him. "Let's go! Let's go!"

"Go! Go!" Gorman shouts and is pushed by Vasquez to start moving.

"Move, Gorman!" Vasquez exclaims as the group crowds into the annex, allows a few of the 'controlled aliens' in and Hicks slides the door shut. Being in such a small room with three of the tamed Aliens is completely unnerving for the group, but they continue on, focused on survival. "Seal it!" Hicks barks to Vasquez and she gets to it, pulls out her torch and begins welding it closed.

Ripley finds the door to the Med-Lab locked. She bangs on it. "Burke!"

**  
-Med-Lab-  
**

Burke, hyper-ventilating with terror, backs across the dark chamber. Gasping, almost paralyzed with fear, he crosses to the door leading to the main concourse. He backs into and stumbles over some canisters on the way.

"Goddamn you! Open this door!" He hears Ripley shouting through the door but is too terrified to register it at the moment. Instead, his fingers reach for the control panel.

It moves by itself. The door opens slowly.

He turns quickly as his eyes widen, completely frozen…transfixed by his fate.

A solitary Alien, obviously not controlled, looms before him within the doorway. Its grinning mouth stretches, the lips tremble and begin pulling back, oozing with slime as the mouth opens wide, revealing the inner set of powerful jaws, waiting to lunge forward.

Burke screams.

* * * * *

Vasquez is still welding as fast as she can when the door is hit with a clanging impact. "Get Back!" Hicks shouts and motions the others back.

"Hurry up!" Vasquez says as another impact sounds and the door begins to dimple inward.

Riddick looks to Gorman. "Gorman, get out of the way!"

"Ripley! This way!" Newt shouts getting Ripley's attention.

"What?" Ripley questions when Newt grabs her hand and pulls her over to an air vent set low in the wall and expertly unlatches the grill, dropping it to the floor. Newt starts inside, but Ripley pulls her back. "Wait! Get behind me."

"Whatever you're going to do, do it fast!" Vasquez warns as she continues welding the door.

Ripley kneels and shines her flashlight down the air duct lit by red emergency lighting. Nothing. The way is clear. "Hicks!" Ripley calls behind her getting his attention.

"Let's go!" Hicks exclaims and moves up behind Ripley.

Gorman stands next to the opening looking toward Hudson, Drake and Vasquez. "Come on, let's go! Move!"

"Move your ass Vasquez!" Hudson exclaims while holding his pulse-rifle tight to his body.

Riddick grabs Onyx and shoves her inside before Hicks. "Don't stop moving, you hear me?" He growls and doesn't let her respond by pushing her into the air vent.

Onyx follows close behind Ripley and Newt into the air shaft, which is a tight fit. Vasquez finishes up just in time as the door is hit full force by the alien mob. The dimple grows larger as the impacts on the door increase. "Go!" Riddick roars and shoves Gorman in after Hicks, Hudson next, when Drake motions for Riddick to go on ahead of him.

"Go man! We'll watch the rear." Drake exclaims and smacks Riddick on the shoulder to get moving.

"Those three will stay behind you." Riddick announces indicating the three 'controlled aliens' standing ready, waiting for Drake and Vasquez to follow Riddick. "Let's move!"

Riddick dives into the air vent, Vasquez and Drake right behind him, while the trio of 'controlled aliens' literally spider climb behind them with incredible agility.

**-Deeper into the Air Shaft-**

Ripley, Newt and Onyx come to a 3-way junction. Ripley looks in every direction, but doesn't know which way to go. "Which way is it to the landing field from here?"

"This way." Newt points to the right-hand tunnel and they move out.

**  
-Med-Lad Annex-**

The increased impacts on the door have now made the dimple reach it's maximum and a gapping crack has formed in it's center. More chaos continues as 'controlled aliens' somehow maneuver their way between the door and the 'killer aliens'. The high-pitched death screams of several of the creatures can be heard echoing into the walls and the battle rages on.

**  
-Deep within the Air Shaft-**

Ripley turns into a larger main duct, where there is enough room to crab-walk in a low crouch. She runs, Newt and Onyx following close behind. The troopers' armor clatters in the confined space. They come to another intersection.

"Go right." Newt exclaims and they keep moving, Ripley's light illuminating the slightly dark tunnel ahead of them as they come to yet another 3-way junction. "This way! This way." Newt shouts excitedly as they head off to the right, into a long connected duct.

Drake and Vasquez are quickly trying to catch up with the group. They glance behind them as they run in a crab-walk. The Dark shapes of the 'controlled trio' move in the tunnel behind them, keeping up with an eerie ferocity.

Riddick turns back momentarily to check on them. "Move those sweet asses!" He barks out like a commanding officer and goes back to focusing forward into the air shaft. His large body moving with the grace of a deadly predator.

Ripley and the others are moving at their top speed through the shafts. "Which way?"

Newt points out indicating the direction. "Straight ahead and to the left."

Onyx, though losing energy fast, struggles to summon her body to push passed the breaking point. Filled with large doses of endorphins and adrenaline she regains some of her strength and moves faster while Hicks, who's right behind her, starts talking into his headset. "Bishop, do you read me?! Come in! Over!"

"The ship is on it's way…" Bishop replies over the static within the com.

**  
-Un-Link Relay-Landing Field-**

Bishop is standing next to the base of the telemetry mast. The wind blows all around him and is gusting viciously. "E.T.A. - sixteen minutes!" Bishop announces into his headset.

**  
-Within the Air Duct-**

"Good!" Hicks replies into his headset, keeping pace with Onyx ahead of him. "Stand-by there! We're on our way!"

Catching up, Onyx stays directly behind Ripley and Newt as they come to another intersection. Ripley shines her light down each one. "Which way now?"

"That way." Newt points to the left and then realizes she's wrong and grabs Ripley. "No, wait! This way." She exclaims and turns right.

"You sure?!" Ripley asks and looks back at Onyx for a moment before going forward.

* * * * *

Hicks, Gorman and Hudson wait at the intersection for Riddick, Drake and Vasquez. The group is lagging behind as their trio of 'controlled aliens' fight off 'killer aliens' coming up from behind them. "Don't stop!" Riddick roars, his voice echoing passed Ripley. "Keep moving!"

* * * * *

Ripley, Newt and Onyx round a corner and Ripley stops to look back for the group. "Ripley!" Onyx calls back as Newt continues forward.

Newt, charging ahead. "Right up here. It's just up here." She exclaims with Onyx hot on her heels, forcing her body to push itself beyond its capabilities.

"Hicks!" Ripley calls back as Onyx manages to grab a hold of the munchkin.

"We're almost there!" Newt exclaims to Onyx and Ripley and starts moving again.

"Ripley! **Guys get up here damn it**!" She shouts and feels a massive pulsing ache start in her temples. She goes to move and collapses against the metal flooring of the air duct.

Ripley doesn't see the group and panics. Looking the other way, she notices that Onyx is struggling to get up while Newt is getting too far ahead. "Newt! Wait!" Ripley makes her way up to Onyx and helps her up. "Newt!" She calls out again, and realizes she has to make a choice, to stay and wait for everyone or follow Newt.

Grabbing a hold of Onyx she jerks her up and pushes her forward. "I will not leave you behind! Now get on your feet!" Ripley commands, makes her decision and quickly runs to catch up with girl, dragging Onyx with her.

* * * * *

Riddick, moving even faster then before, finally reaches Hicks, Hudson and Gorman. "Drake! Vasquez!" Riddick calls behind him and watches as they thankfully reach the others. But there's something missing…the 'trio of aliens' that should have been trailing behind them.

"They stopped a ways back, saving us from an ambush." Drake explains while catching his breath.

"Let's move, those bastards won't be too far behind." Riddick says in a darker tone and motions everyone to move ahead of him.

Drake likes Riddick and won't leave him behind. "Kiss me ass man, I'm stickin' with you."

Riddick gives Drake an impressed smile, shares a short male bonding moment and cocks his pulse-rifle, the magazine still full of ammo. "Fine with me." He smirks as they start after the group while the sound of the 'killer aliens' shuffling toward them fills the air. "Short controlled bursts, got it?"

Drake grins at Riddick. "Love it when you talk dirty to me."

* * * * *

Onyx can hear the full bellied laughter of Drake and Riddick from behind the others as Hicks, herself, Newt and Ripley reach a large metal housing and Newt crawls inside.

"Newt!" Ripley calls out as they follow.

"Up there, there's a short-cut across the roof." Newt explains, and points upward. It is a junction of several shafts, including a vertical duct with ladder rungs leading up to an exterior vent hood. The "floor" is actually the top of a large blower drum, a veined cylinder. The room is tall enough for all four of them to stand up fully.

Ripley crosses to the ladder, seizes a rung to steady herself, and reaches back for Newt. "Hicks!"

Onyx moves out of the way as Hicks lifts Newt up and hands her over to Ripley. Newt grabs onto the ladder and holds on firmly.

Onyx turns back to see the others coming up, but where's Riddick and Drake? "Riddick!" She screams out as everyone turns back to stare down the air shaft, looking for any signs of them. Panic starts to rise in her chest when suddenly there's a massive explosion somewhere deep within the air shaft. Hicks and Onyx are crouched by the door to the ventilation room when it hits. The blast knocks them over and dislodges Newt from the ladder. She falls onto the blower drum, causing it to rotate. Newt slips nightmarishly through a narrow gap into another duct, a chute angling into the depths at a 45 degree angle. She catches the lip of the chute and holds on.

"Newt! God!" Ripley screams as Newt hangs on for dear life.

"Ripley!" Newt calls out helplessly as she tries to hold on.

"Newt! Hicks, Erin! Get her! Hurry!" Ripley's voice surrounds them with panic as Hicks jams his pulse rifle into the drum, stopping the rotation. Then, before both Ripley and Hicks lunge into the gap, Onyx is already there, the opening just big enough to grab onto Newt.

"I got her!" Onyx exclaims, head becoming dizzy from the pain in her temples but continues to hold onto Newt for dear life. "Pull me up!" Her voice hitches as she's half in and out of the opening, already starting to slip forward.

"Hold onto her Newt!" Ripley says as Onyx slips forward and suddenly stops when the tips of her boots lock right on the edge of the lip of the shoot, facing down, hoping and praying she can hold on.

"We're slipping!" Newt calls back, her tiny arms wrapped tightly around Onyx's neck.

"Don't let go!" Ripley replies as they finally manage to grab the back of Onyx's ankles and start pulling her up and back.

"Jesus move!" Hudson gently pushes Ripley to the side and helps Hicks by taking one of Onyx's ankles in his hands and starts to pull.

As if this wasn't hard enough, another rumbling explosion hits, and causes Hudson and Hicks to fall back…releasing Onyx in the process.

With an echoing scream, both Newt and Onyx plummet, sliding down the chute into darkness, disappearing around a bend. Ripley yells after them. "Newt! Erin! No!"

The shaft recedes into darkness. No answer. Hicks pulls Ripley up out of the gap. "Come on! We can find them with this!" He shows her the Locator from his belt, it Beeps slowly.

Ripley nods, then yells down the chute into darkness. "Stay where you are!"

A plaintive call from the darkness is heard. Echoing, distorted, terrified. "Ripley!" Onyx and Newt's voices call back in unison somewhere far below.

Ripley calls back, relieved to hear their answer. "We're coming!"

Kicking out a ventilator grille, Hicks emerges onto a stairwell landing, followed by Ripley and the others. Riddick and Drake finally emerge, covered in ash. "Where's Onyx and Newt?" Riddick asks and sees the looks on everyone's face.

"We can find them!" Hicks exclaims and motions to the locator beeping on his belt.

Without another word, the entire group rush down the stairs as fast as possible.

**  
-Sub-Basement-**

Onyx, holding Newt in her arms, are in a low grotto-like chamber, filled with pipes. It's flooded up to Onyx's waist. They look around while Newt clutches 'Casey' tight against Onyx's neck. "It's gonna be okay Newt." She says in a reassuring voice, even though she can sense they're not alone. She fights back the terror in her chest. "It's going to be okay." _Gods please…let them find us first… I can't fight off an attacking alien…_

**  
-Stairwell/Corridor-**

The group follows Hicks and Ripley as they reach the bottom of the stairs and sprint along a corridor, intent on the locator's signal. "This way. They're close." Hicks indicates as the signal beeps faster as they close in on Newt and Onyx.

"Onyx!" Riddick booms, his voice penetrating deep into the walls.

"Newt!" Ripley shouts, hoping they find them soon.

**  
-Sub-Basement-**

Onyx is wading around, looking everywhere for unexpected visitors as she holds Newt protectively in her tired arms.

"Ripley!" Newt calls out as they move carefully through the water.

"Ripley! Hicks!" Onyx shouts hoping to the gods they hear them.

**  
-Corridor-**

Ripley calls out as the group moves forward. "Where are you! Can you hear me!"

**  
-Sub-Basement-**

Newt hears footsteps and voices. "Onyx up there!" She exclaims and they both look up.

They both feel a wave of relief when they hear Ripley's voice. "Newt! Erin!"

"Here!" Onyx exclaims and helps Newt climb up on some pipes toward the overhead grilling.

"We're here!" Newt calls out but Ripley can't seem to find them.

"Where?"

**  
-Corridor-**

Newt's tiny fingers wriggle up through the bars of the grate work in front of Ripley and the others. They stop and drop down by them. Ripley squeezes Newt's precious fingers and shines her light through the floor grating to see Newt's face. "Newt. Are you two okay?" Ripley asks and Newt nods.

Riddick and Hicks grab the grate and try to pull it up. No success. "Let's cut it!" Hicks exclaims as Vasquez makes her way up to him, unsnapping their welders and flips up their guard screen.

"Climb down, honey. We've gotta' cut through." Ripley says as Newt climbs back down into Onyx's outstretched arms. She looks up and watches Hicks as Onyx backs up a little, to get out of the way of the blue sparks raining down into the water.

Hicks and Vasquez work quickly, cutting into the bars. The torch emits a blinding blue light that illuminates the corridor. Ripley blocks off the glare to her eyes with her light as she looks down into the sub-basement. Riddick, standing inches from Ripley, slips his goggles on to protect his eyes from the light.

"...Now, don't move. Stay very still." Ripley tells the pair just below and hears Newt say 'Okay'. "We're almost there. Hang in there, okay?"

"Onyx you okay down there?" Riddick says against the sound of the welding.

Just below, Onyx feels as though her heart has come back to life. "I thought you were dead!"

The two motion trackers comes to life. It's beeping doesn't go unnoticed. Ripley looks over and picks one up. A blob of white dots are moving onto the screen. "Hicks!"

"I know!" He replies as the grate is finally finished. "There!"

Riddick, Hudson, Drake and Hicks use all of their weight to bare down on the grate. It lets out an ominous crack, breaks free and hit's the water with a heavy splash.

Onyx doesn't hesitate at the blessed opportunity and holds up Newt to the hands outstretched to capture her. "Take her!" She calls out as Hicks manages to get a good hold of the little girl and pulls her up.

"Newt!" Ripley exclaims and pulls the soaked little girl into her arms in a bear hug.

"Come on girl reach up!" Drake calls down to Onyx as the constant beeping on the motion trackers become a chorus of the evil ready to devour them at any moment.

Onyx climbs up on the same set of pipes that Newt used and sees Riddick's large hands reaching out to grab her. "That's it baby, nice and easy." He encourages her in a soothing tone as she reaches up just enough for him to grab a hold of her wrists.

Matching his gaze, suddenly a look of complete terror washes over her features. "Riddick…" She whispers, unable to scream as a pair of black, clawed hands take her by the waist and rip her from Riddick's hands.

"NO!!" Riddick bellows in a rage and goes to dive into the opening when Drake, Hicks and Hudson pull him back. "Let Go of me!"

"We ain't got time!" Drake yells back at Riddick as they look down into the opening…seeing nothing more then waves dancing through the dark water.

"Onyx!" Riddick calls out and gets no reply as Drake, Hicks and Hudson continue to hold him back.

"You're connected to her man! Remember?" Hudson barks catching his attention. "We'll find her!"

Hicks and Ripley look at the motion trackers. "We gotta move, Now!" Hicks exclaims and motions for everyone to move. "We'll come back for her." He says to Riddick as they start down the corridor toward an elevator, not far away at the end of the tunnel.

Hicks gets everyone inside and hits the button to go to the surface level. The door doesn't close. Hicks hits it again and it begins to close. Not fast enough though. A killer alien warrior leaps at the door but before it can gets it's arms and head through, Drake and Riddick unload a few rounds into the alien causing it to scream out as the doors close just in time, saving everyone from being sprayed by its acid for blood.

* * * * *

The elevator stops. The doors part and they scramble out and start running toward the landing field. As they get closer they notice Bishop as he steers the incoming drop-ship with a joystick. He looks up as drop-ship #2 flies over the North Lock building, and descends toward the landing grid, side-slipping in hurricane gusts. Bishop stands, guiding it with the portable terminal. The ship sets down hard, lowering it's access ramp on contact.

The group run up to Bishop when Riddick shouts to be heard over the wind. "Bishop! How much time?!"

"Plenty!" He replies and looks to the group. "Twenty-six minutes!"

"We're not leaving!" Riddick exclaims and Bishop follows the group, puzzled.

"We're not?" He asks as they all run up the ship's access ramp, disappearing inside.

**  
-End Chapter Forty-Three-**


	44. Chapter 44:: Hail, Holy Queen

**[Onyx's Note::** I know I'm evil (giggles)...and I want to say again, thank you to Everyone who's been with me on this crazy journey of mine. Oh and yes (to one of my funniest reviewers) you can have one of your very own Controlled Alien! I have to get'em a new harness and leash first...lol. Not sure if I'm gonna get blue or green, you'll have to let me know what color you want. He gets cranky around Pink or Pastel colors just to let you know (winks) lol Alright, enough with my sillyness. I actually JUST WROTE THIS installment...after not writing anything on this story for about...2 years. Ouch, I know. But let me tell ya... WOW. It's a really good one... Fast Paced, Adrenaline Pumping, Nerve-racking Awesome! The beginning Prayer is in Latin called, 'Hail, Holy Queen' fitting, no? And as always...Enjoy!**]  
**

* * *

Salve Regina, Mater misericordiae. Vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve. Ad te clamamus exsules filii Hevae. Ad te Suspiramus, gementes et flentes in hac lacrimarum valle.

**[Translated] **_Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy; our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears._

**  
::Outside Perspective::  
**

An infernal engine, roaring out of control. Steam, thick and scolding, blasts and swirls, as blue whips of lightning zap and crackle around the superstructure while columns of incandescent gas thunder hundreds of feet into the air. The drop-ship moves toward the station. It flies through the massive archway in front, the gates of hell itself, entering the belly of the beast. The group within is high strung and filled with a deep sense of adrenaline filled dread. Particularly Ripley. Onyx had sacrificed herself for the life of Newt. Something about all of this just doesn't sit right with her. And there is no way she's just going to sit there and allow Riddick, as big and bad as he seems, to go in there on his own.

"You're not going in there by yourself." Ripley states and pulls down two weapons from a storage rack and ties their barrels together with some cloth. Then, she winds black electrical tape around the stocks, securely fastening them together. Ripley finishes winding tape and drops the roll, her hands clammy and shaking with fear induced adrenalin. She has crudely fastened an M-41A assault rifle, side by side, with a flamethrower unit.

Riddick glares at her while fastening two weapons together in the same fashion. "I admire your protective instinct Ripley, but this ain't the time for heroics."

"And you think going into The Hive on your own isn't?" Hicks adds, standing just behind them as Hudson, Drake, Vasquez and Gorman stay in the background, watching the scene unfold. "Look, we all care about Onyx. Maybe not as much as you do, but we're not going to stand back and watch you get killed."

"Yea man, if you plan on gettin' some alien ass we want to be there, right along with you." Drake chimes in with a smart-ass smirk on his face.

Riddick, surprised at how willing these people are to going back into the very mouth of hell, stands silent for a moment. This is a one man job, he knows that, feels it with his gut. He knows how it should all play out, one person goes in, brings out the damsel in distress and high tails it into orbit. But things have changed… Newt's no longer in harms way, thanks to Onyx. Thanks to her ballsy move, the little girl is safe… Drake, Vasquez, Gorman and Hudson are all still alive…because of her. Riddick knows he saved Hudson's ass, but again…if it weren't for Onyx…

Onyx is the reason for all of this. And with a ghost of smile, Riddick realizes that honestly, it's kinda fun. Not Onyx being kidnapped, but the Rift, The Crew, The Aliens themselves… The whole situation. He's never felt so alive and for the first time in a very long time, people, _soldiers_, look to him as comrade. Hell of a change compared to the way things were before Onyx came into his life. _Ain't it true…women cause so much drama, especially when you love'em. But damn, it's worth it. _Riddick chimes inwardly and licks his lips with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Look man, we all go in and get her out of there. We go in as a team." Vasquez states while clutching her M-41A assault rifle close to her chest, as though it's become an extension of herself. "We go in as a Unit."

Drake smirks and slaps Vasquez on the arm, "no one gets left behind baby."

"Fuckin' A!" Hudson announces as Drake and Vasquez share a hive five.

"You serious?" Riddick asks in a careful tone, low and controlled while eyeing everyone around him. "You willin' to go in there and risk your lives for one person?"

And of all people, Hudson huffs, jumps to his feet from where he was just sitting and stands ready. "She ain't just one person, she's a part of the team. Like Vasquez said, it's all or nothin' man."

"Well then, guess that's settled." Riddick smirks and starts packing his gear up, ready to go into the very pit of hell.

"Bishop, what's the status?" Hicks says into his headset when everyone hears the reply.

**-Dropship Cockpit-**

"Touching down as we speak." Bishop replies into the com and looks around, finding a good place to set the ship down. He sees a narrow landing platform twenty levels above the ground. The drop-ship pivots, hovering in the blasting turbulence, and settles down on the platform with a clang. Lightning arches all around the platform and the ship as the station begins to self-destruct.

"Roger that." Hicks adds as Ripley works rapidly, preparing for what she is planning to do. She slaps a magazine into the rifle. The counter lights up, it reads 95. Hanging the guns over her shoulder, she pulls out a few M-41A grenades from a box.

"Everyone take what you can, we're going to need it." Riddick explains and takes the grenades from Ripley's shaking hands, pulls a few out for himself and hands them off to Hicks to distribute evenly with the rest of the group. "Anything you can carry, do it." He says and pumps his gauge once, readying himself for the battle.

Ripley, in some kind of trance, is stuffing gear quickly into a satchel, her hands flying. She picks up a packet of flares and a bandoleer of grenades, shoving them into the satchel.

Bishop suddenly appears aft from the pilot's compartment. "Ripley…" His voice trails off as he watches as the group gets into combat mode, Ripley the worst; eyes glassy and wide, focused as she goes through her motions, looking like a bat out of hell.

"I don't want to hear about it, Bishop. She's _alive_. There's still time." She spats while arranging everything on her person, making sure she has everything she needs.

Riddick hearing her words, gives her a quick sideways glance. He's a little surprised at the tone in her voice, the strength boiling inside her. _Thought she was just soft on the kid… _He thinks and smirks to himself, _guess that bond she's got with Onyx is stronger then I thought…interesting._

"In nineteen minutes, this area is going to be a cloud of vapor the size of Nebraska." Bishop explains and watches Ripley turn toward Gorman and Newt.

"Newt, Gorman. Don't let him leave."

Newt nods her head, Gorman doing the same. "We're not going anywhere." He replies and has a look in his eyes…the kind that reveals a hint of hope.

"Let's move people." Hicks exclaims and motions for everyone to start moving.

"I want to make one thing clear…" Riddick growls low in his throat as they reach the doors. "I set the pace, and you better keep up." He pauses and looks to everyone, especially Ripley, "Anyone not ready for this?"

Ripley's eyes narrow as she pulls her guns closer to her body, the group around her sharing the same defiant expression.

Riddick gives a small, impressed grin and chimes "that's what I thought."

The door opens to a side access ramp. Angry wind and machine thunder blast in. The small group runs down the ramp, crossing the platform to the closed doors of a large freight elevator. Everyone standing ready, Ripley hits the open button.

The doors part.

In the background, the female voice of the warning system is heard.

**"Attention. Emergency. All personnel must evacuate immediately. You now have fifteen minutes to reach minimum safe distance."**

The group enters the elevator. The doors close.

The elevator descends. Ripley and Riddick crouch on the floor as Hicks, Drake, Vasquez and Hudson prepare themselves and begin loading up the grenade launchers on the M-41A's. In a strange chorus of mechanical sounds they simultaneously Cock their weapons. Setting the weapons down, Ripley removes a flare packet from her satchel. Pulling out the six flares, she stuffs them into her pants pockets.

Hudson looks over as the elevator descends. The level counter decreases...**fifteen**...**fourteen**...**thirteen**...

Ripley removes her jacket and dons a battle harness directly over her T-shirt. Her eyes burn with determination that holds the gut-panic in check. She puts the bandoleer of grenades around her chest as well. Hefting the guns up by her side, she stands ready, to the left of Riddick. Ripley closes her eyes and tries to calm herself. This is the most terrifying thing she has ever done. She is soaking in sweat. The voice of the warning system echoes down the tunnel again, calm and mechanical.

**"Attention. Emergency. All personnel must evacuate immediately. You now have fourteen minutes to reach minimum safe distance."**

"Good to know we'll have a reminder every minute of our impending doom." Drake chimes sarcastically, high tension swirling through the air, damn near suffocating them.

Riddick is a picture of calm, standing silent and ready, goggles covering his focused gaze…his mind on one thing.

Saving Onyx.

Ripley primes the flamethrower. A blue flame emits by its barrel. The lift motor whines, slowing. It hits bottom with a bump. The safety cage retracts. Slowly, expectantly…

The doors part.

The group stands there, swiveling their weapons. Steam clouds swirl all around them as Riddick and Ripley stand at the head of the group.

Ripley moves out of the lift first, knuckles white on the rifle. She looks around. A jet of steam sprays out above, startling her. Before her is a vast network of pipes stretching in every direction. Some glow cherry red from heat build-up. She moves into the tunnel ahead, Riddick close behind her, the group directly behind him while she shoots the flame unit into the open space above her, just for precautionary measures. Continuing forward, she fires again, lighting up the tunnel, and setting a few pillars on fire in the process. Rounding a pillar, Ripley looks back to see the elevator doors close with a bang.

"No turning back now." Hicks says in a flat tone and looks forward, motioning with the barrel of his weapon to move forward. "Let's keep moving."

Ripley looks around and then to Riddick. "Which way?"

He pauses for a moment, searches Onyx's energy with his mind and then nods to their left when a blast of energy goes off causing Ripley to close her eyes for protection. "We go that way. Stay behind me, watch your backs." Riddick replies and moves in that direction, approaching a "Sub-Level 03" stairway. The bottom is obscured in mist. He sprints down the stairs, coming to a landing with an overheated red-hot pipe over it. "Keep your heads down." He calls back to the group while ducking and moves straight on to a two-way junction.

He pauses as the team files in behind him, Ripley already at his heels. Once everyone is together, Riddick stops just outside the entrance to the alien-encrusted tunnel. Just to be on the safe side, he sends a blast of flame scorching ahead of him.

"Here." Ripley states and pulls out a flare, ignites it and throws the stick down. It almost disappears in the encrustation.

Momentum speeds up as the group continues forward as fast as possible, their guns aimed straight ahead at all times, ready for anything. Riddick can hear Ripley's breathing as it becomes fast and hard. Coming to another stairwell junction, Riddick flames straight ahead. He pauses as Ripley moves around the stairs, stopping at a corner to peer around it in terror. Her breathing has become short gasps and her heartbeat races, beating loudly.

_**Thump-thump**_, _**thump-thump**_…

She turns back to Riddick, "now which way?" She asks as her heart continues to thunder wildly in her chest.

Riddick seems to sniff the air, almost tasting it for a certain scent. And just as he hoped, he catches the faint aroma of Onyx lingering within the humidity. "This way." Riddick replies in a deep tone and dashes down the stairs.

At the bottom, he quickly moves around the stairs and begins up another corridor. Onyx's scent seems to increase. Stopping under a flashing yellow KLAXON, Riddick sends a burst of flame out ahead of the group. He moves forward, swiveling to look everywhere. Ripley lights another flare to mark the way back.

Appearing out of a steam cloud, the group comes to a corner. Riddick sniffs the air again, turns his head and heads right. At this point they've started to jog along the corridor until Riddick lets out a growl and breaks into a run…but stops. He can smell her…but where's Onyx? He looks down and finds a piece of her pants, lying in the sticky encrustation.

With his large hand he reaches down and absentmindedly touches the cloth, sensing the fleeting warmth that was once radiating off of her body. Inwardly he feels his beast roar out, a slither of desperation surging through his charged blood. The group is just behind him, as silent as the grave, the sense of all hope beginning to recede…disintegrating into mindless chaos.

"She's down here, I can _feel_ it." He says in a tone that would chill a man's blood as he rises back to his feet, his gaze focused, driven to search out his objective and bring her home.

"We don't have much time man…if we're gonna find her, we gotta do it fast." Drake exclaims in a careful voice, his eyes alert to everything around him.

*** * * * ***

**::Her Perspective::**

**-Somewhere within the Hive-**

Warmth, overwhelming, saturating… I feel like I'm drowning. I try to move, but feel trapped… Helpless and exhausted, I can feel a strange ache continue to pulse through my temples. I just want to sleep, why can't I sleep? No, I can't go to sleep. I need to keep myself aware, alert…for as long as possible. If I don't, I may never wake up.

Wait… I'm not where I'm supposed to be. Something's wrong…I can feel it in my bones. Wait, where's Riddick? I can sense him…just barely, which means he's close…but not close enough.

Oh gods please don't tell me I'm where I think I am…

I don't want to open my eyes as I hear a very distinct hissing sound just twenty feet ahead of me.

Please don't let it be… Not the Hive…

My eyes open against my inner pleas and at first; an eerie pulsing layer of mist obscures my vision. I narrow my eyes, focusing on the dim and tangled shapes in front of me…

My heart jolts against my ribcage.

"Oh god…Riddick…" I hear a woman whispering…and realize…it's me, "where are you?"

**::Outside Perspective::**

Onyx senses something about to birth itself not far from where she's laying… And without a sound…her beast, trapped within its cage of flesh and bone…

Lets out a terrible cry.

**-Catacombs-**

Riddick let's out a strangled growl, cringes and doubles over at the sound of an all consuming scream of terror that tears through his mind, blurring every thought, every sensation at the velocity of the sound echoing off the walls of his brain.

"Man, you alright?!" Hicks exclaims, eyes wide at the sight of the huge man collapsing as though he's just been shot.

A low noise emits from Riddick's throat as tears his goggles from his eyes and stands, rising like a titan from the depths of hell; the thick fog swirling against his legs, his mercury silver blue orbs flashing dangerously in the low lighting… He looks to the group and in one word, reveals that the beast has clawed its way to the surface.

"Onyx." The name hangs in the sticky hot air when he suddenly bolts, the group stunned but tight on his heels.

**-Somewhere within the Hive-**

Onyx watches wide eyed, paralyzed and physically lacking the energy to move…as a small movement ahead catches her attention. A scream trapped in her throat, echoing within the catacombs of her mind as her soul bellows a howl out into the air around her…hoping, praying that someone will hear her…as a face-hugger emerges from a freshly bloomed egg.

Steam rises from the pulsating flesh. Globs of slime oozing in thick streams down its sides as the tips of the face-hugger's finger like legs slowly, rise, pushing itself from its tomb of living flesh. She closes her eyes and tries, in utter desperation, to find her link with the 'controlled aliens'. Her head pounds, the pain sharp and immediate behind her eyes when she finds the link and is unaware of the small warm stream of crimson trailing down her left nostril.

_Help me…find me…HELP ME! _Her mind bellows, sending a powerful wave of unseen energy to blast out of her body. It flows over every living thing within the space of a football field. Focusing on the energy, she feels an overflowing chorus of cries. The 'controlled aliens' have felt the call and our closing in all around her. But they won't make it in time as the face-hugger seems to stop in its movements, as if the strength of the blast from her mind hit it full force…causing its internal workings to fall under confusion.

Struggling to open her eyes, she witnesses the face-hugger crawling, slowly over the lip of the open egg… She holds her breath and feels her heart skip a beat when it makes a strange mewling sound and leans forward, losing all control of its motor functions and topples to the hive encrusted deck.

Onyx's manages enough strength to sit up on her elbows and sees the face-hugger on its back. Its arthritic looking fingers twitching as its long tail remains splayed around its body.

Unable to do more then breathe and shakily sit up, her eyes snap to her left as a large, dark silhouette begins to emerge from the swirling mist. "Oh god…" She croaks in a strangled whisper at the sight of the Alien…

Its form slowly edging closer, its jaws opening in that terrible, spine chilling grin. Frozen, terror thick and cold through her veins, Onyx is helpless as the living terror stalks toward her, its long cranium bowed, arms beginning to out stretch, its skeletal hands opening, shimmering like obsidian in the low lighting.

**-Catacombs-**

The group catches up with Riddick as he runs down another dark corridor when he's brought to a sudden stop. Ripley is immediately at his side, her weapon close to her body aimed forward at the sight before her. Hicks, Drake, Vasquez and Hudson are bringing up the rear, weapons also aimed and ready to fire at any moment.

"Oh god." Ripley says under her breath, unable to take her eyes off the dark figure appearing to be cradling something…its back facing them.

"Nobody move and no firing." Riddick growls in a dark timber when the Alien's tail twitches, its massive head craning to the left, its body following the movement when everyone's shocked into silence at the sight of Onyx, held tenderly in the creatures deadly arms.

"One of ours?" Hicks asks in a calm voice, sweat dripping down his forehead.

Riddick clenches his jaws together, "No."

"Fuck man!" Hudson whines under his breath and shifts his weight from one foot to the other. "I don't wanna rain on anybody's parade here, but we ain't got a lotta time."

"Shut up Hudson." Drake barks through clenched teeth while Vasquez elbows Hudson in the side for emphasis.

Riddick takes a step forward and the Alien takes a step back. Ripley, sensing something about this speaks in a clear tone, "It wants us to follow."

A smirk forms on Riddick's lips, "Just noticed that?" He quips sarcastically and receives a glare from Ripley, not all that impressed with his sarcasm. "Let's move." He exclaims in a low voice and starts forward, the Alien leading the way…

**-Processor Station-**

A huge fireball billows out of the center of the station. The structure tearing itself apart, piece by piece…as it begins to self-destruct.

**-Deeper Into The Hive-**

The Alien appears to retrace their steps, but stops, recoiling with hiss, shielding Onyx as an explosion on a lower level engulfs the passageway in an enormous, glittering fireball. The Alien retreats, moving through another steam-filled corridor. The group emerge, having kept very close to the Xenomorph and find themselves standing in a Large Chamber obscured in thick shadows and dancing mist.

Riddick watches Ripley's face closely as she steps forward an inch, entering the chamber and stops. The whites of her eyes appear bright and glassy, her breath hitching as her expression changes, molding into spine chilling worry.

With a sudden and resounding horror…the small group realize they're standing in a room full of eggs. Dozens and dozens of pulsating, slime covered eggs…lining the floor everywhere around them. Riddick lets out an inaudible sound, his eyes already locked behind them when the rest of the group hears something and slowly, painfully…turn toward the source.

They watch as a strange tube-like membrane places an egg on the floor with the others. It retracts, dripping slimy, gelatinous ooze from the tube's opening onto the egg.

Silent, the group eyes along an egg-filled abdomen which swells and swells into a great pulsing tubular sac, suspended from a lattice of pipes and conduits by a web-like membrane as if some vast coil of intestine was draped carelessly among the machinery. Monstrous.

Finally, they look up and see it. A massive, looming silhouette in the mist, the Dark Mother glowering over her eggs like a great, glistening arachnid-Buddha. Riddick, though planning on watching this bitch die…can't help what flows softly from his lips, "Beautiful…" As the Queen's deep, heavy breathing echoes around the chamber.

Ripley's eyes flicker in front of her, "Riddick." She says in short and he looks to what she's focused on.

"Oh fuck me." Hicks blurts under his breath, the others peering at the same image, their chests heaving with full bodied panic.

Just a few feet in front of them is Onyx, laid out between two eggs, completely unconscious. And just a few feet away from her, is the Queen in all her sadistic majesty.

Riddick motions with his left hand for them to stay as he begins walking, carefully forward, toward his fallen mate when the Queen's legs, arms and face extends, now visible from beneath its protective shell, her long transparent teeth glistening death as she seems to gaze down at Riddick with an eyeless face.

Her massive jaws open, slime stretching between her lips and teeth as a loud hiss resonates from her chest and echoes through the chamber. Riddick just glares shined eyes at the bitch, knowing that the hiss is really a silent call for the guards.

Three drones step out of the shadows, drenched in mist around the chamber. One is directly behind the group and snarls out a hiss of warning, when Ripley immediately exclaims, "No! Don't shoot!" Her voice still quiet but firm as the group pulls closer together, eyes darting between the three threats, guns ready, hearts pounding with panicked-fury.

Riddick remembers the memories Onyx shared with him on the movie, grips his flamethrower, swivels and fires a burst of scorching flames above the eggs. The Queen screams, ear piercing and chilling, while twisting in her throne. Riddick turns back to the queen and points the flame unit at an egg.

"Fuck with me Bitch, and I'll burn your fucking kingdom to the ground." Riddick growls deep in his chest and stares at her for a response.

The drones freeze as if confused. A nightmare tableau. The Queen isn't stupid and gets the point. She motions and hisses to the left and right with her large crested head. The hiding drones back off into the shadows that hid them. A Mexican standoff between Riddick protecting his mate and the Queen protecting her young. Riddick watches the drones disappear, "Good Girl." he muses and in a swift movement, throws Onyx over his left shoulder so he can hold her and still aim his weapon and begins to back out of the chamber, away from the Queen and toward his comrades.

The Queen watches, boiling with rage, wanting that female for herself…

Riddick carefully moves backward, toward the tunnel he and the others came in from, stepping gently and firmly. He stops in the entrance to the tunnel, the others gathered around him protectively. Ripley scans the room and notices an egg unfold near them.

A look crosses her face akin to 'you fucking bitch' as her head tilts to the side, when she steps forward and with a graceful ease, sweeps her arm, unleashing the full deadly force of her flame thrower, igniting the field of eggs with an insane fury.

The Queen goes berserk, screeching like some psychotic steam whistle. She claws at the air, trying to get at Ripley, but she is too far and is stuck in her throne.

Drake and Vasquez glance at the walls of the chamber and see the three drones coming for them. They are blown off the walls that they cling to by the marine's pulse-fire.

Ripley doesn't stop, she continues firing, now focusing all her rage on the burning eggs. They explode on contact with the bullets. Ripley fires until there is only 12 rounds left in the gun. She stops and pumps the slide on her grenade launcher and Fires.

The grenade punches deep into the Queen's egg sac and explodes, ripping it open from within. Eggs and tons of gelatinous matter spray across the chamber floor. Ripley pumps and fires again and again and again. Four times into the egg sack.

The Queen is crazy with rage.

"Let's Go!" Riddick roars, grabbing Ripley by the shoulder and pulls her toward the retreating group, following them into the exit tunnel. She continues to fire the flame unit into the chamber, igniting eggs. Destroying the very source of evil that's plagued her life…the only thing she can remember…

"Hudson!" Drake hollers while he, Vasquez and Hicks are clearing the tunnel of Alien Killers. Hudson responds immediately and blows away an approaching drone. It drops to the floor.

Grabbing Ripley, Riddick moves around a corner. Unslinging the bandolier of grenades, Ripley primes one, and throws the whole thing as far as she can into the egg chamber. Being dragged away by Riddick, the group dashes into the catacombs and are hurled forward by the shock wave of multiple, teeth chattering explosions.

**-Egg Chamber-**

The explosions around the Queen have caused her supports to break, dropping her into the flames around her. She lashes out in pain and anger, and pulls herself free from the egg sac, ripping away and dragging torn cartilage and tissue behind her.

**-Catacombs - Corridor-**

The group runs, blindly, with a panting intensity verging on hysteria. They see one of the flares dropped earlier and turn. "Do not stop! Keep moving!" Riddick hollers ahead of the group, sees another flare, and sprints toward it as the foundations of the world shake.

Rounding a corner, they find the stairs they came down and dash up them. At the top, the entire superstructure rocks as another explosion ignites within the heart of the station. Everyone holds on and then keeps going.

Upon rounding a corner, they see the lift.

"Sweet Jesus nothin' looked so pretty!" Hudson exclaims, his breath hitching.

Drake grins and adds as they sprint toward it, "just like a whore's ass!"

Everyone is gasping for breath, all but Riddick who slips his goggles back on and appears more together then the rest and hits the up button. Nothing. He hits it again and looks up the shaft for the elevator.

Riddick sees the lift slowly coming down the shaft and frowns when a flame billows all around it.

Ripley and Hicks moves to the adjacent lift when Ripley hits the up button. The sound of the lift motors whine as it begins its slow descent as well from several floors up. She is frantic, hitting the buttons over and over again, hoping for some faster action. A sudden, enraged blood curdling screech sounds in the corridor behind them. Ripley turns, eyes wide with terror. She begins hitting the buttons again.

"Aw come on man, come on!" Hudson wails, his voice pitching to the hysteria he's feeling when Drake smacks him upside his helmet getting his attention.

"Chill out!" Drake barks.

Vasquez hits Hudson in the chest, "cool it!"

Riddick's entire body goes tense when he senses something…like whispers in his mind. _I'm weak but alive_… He hears Onyx in his head, _she's coming…they're coming_… And her voice cuts out.

Ripley's voice catches his attention but he doesn't move. "Come on! God damn it!" Ripley yells and slams an open palm against the button as if it'll make the lift get there faster.

"Gettin' close." Hicks announces and wipes the sweat from his brow, his heart pounding furiously in his head.

"Tell us somethin' we don't know." Drake chimes and can almost feel his adrenaline pumping through his veins when another screech pierces the air. Closer this time.

The lift is almost there…the group turn to see its ascent when Riddick's eyes are focused behind them and just under his breath growls out, "Fuck." just as the silhouette of the Queen rounds a corner and slowly makes her way up the corridor.

The Queen sees them and hisses. The group looks back to see the lift stop and open for them.

"Inside Now!!" Riddick hollers as Hicks ushers everyone inside. They race into it as Hudson jams the up button.

The Queen quickly moves her way up the misty corridor, screeching at the top of her lungs.

Riddick drops Onyx gently behind him and readies his weapons to fire. The lift cage slides closed just in time as the Queen comes up to it. Riddick and Ripley fire their flame throwers through the cage. The Queen screeches and reels back. Ripley continues firing until the unit runs dry, but Riddick pauses, knowing he's going to need it for later.

The Queen notices this, but the lift doors close too quickly for an attack.

The elevator starts upward quickly. Riddick picks Onyx up off the floor and cradles her limp form in his arms as the group hug the back wall, terrified and exhausted. A large explosion nearby rocks the lift. Some debris falls on its roof with a bang as a huge fireball slightly engulfs the lift, causing everyone inside to cringe at the impact.

**-Corridor-**

The second lift reaches bottom, the doors rolling open for anyone. The Queen looks over, her massive head tilting to the side when her jaws close, her lips curling in a look of what could only be described as pleasant surprise.

**-Elevator - Platform-**

The ride up is not comforting as explosions constantly shake the tiny lift and its occupants. The mechanical voice of the warning system is heard again. It is much shorter now.

**"You now have two minutes to reach minimum safe distance."**

Ripley is next to Riddick, peering over Onyx's still form. She can tell by the dark expression on Riddick's face that something is very wrong.

"She gonna be alright?" Drake sounds behind them when Hicks looks over Onyx and sees Riddick's face.

"Unknown, we gotta get her to med lab." Hicks replies when The lift reaches the top and the group hustles out onto the platform.

Everyone looks around through wind-whipped streamers of smoke and sees...nothing.

Hudson exclaims. "What the fuck!!"

The Ship Is Gone.

Ripley's jaw drops, "No…" her voice embodying the horror she feels.

The platform is completely empty. Ripley looks up and shouts an outrage at the final betrayal. "Bishop! God damn you!" She howls into the chaotic air and slumps over in defeat, breathing heavy.

"Wait…" Riddick announces over the wind and notices the wild look in Hudson's eyes. "Might not've been stable enough. He'll be back." He finishes and sees the look on everyone's faces.

"Hey…" Drake announces getting everyone's attention as a sound whines behind them. "Think we got company."

The group, without Riddick, move over to the adjacent lift cage and look down.

"Shit." Hicks exclaims as he witnesses the second lift slowly coming up. Clouds of fire exploding all around it. "Get ready!" He barks out as they back away from the lift, Ripley standing close to Riddick who continues holding Onyx close to his body.

Hicks, Drake, Vasquez and Hudson back away from the doors. Ripley, standing near Riddick checks her gun. The counter reads empty. Ripley drops the weapons.

She follows Riddick's lead as he backs up toward the railing. There is no place to run.

Multiple explosions detonate in the complex far below and all around. Huge fireballs well upward through the machinery. The platform bucks wildly. Nearby, a cooling tower collapses with a thunderous roar and the shriek of rending steel. Chaos and destruction totally surround them, offering no reprieve.

The lift stops. The group stare transfixed as the safety cage opens. Flashes from the explosion give a glimpse of the apparition within. Then, slowly…it moves into full view.

The Queen…

…has arrived.

**-End Chapter Forty-Four-**


End file.
